The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-02-16
Present Cost of Building.

80 much has been said and written
of late touching the great increase in
the cost of constructing buildings of
all kinds, that the public has acquired
an altogether erroneous idea of the
same. Widely disseminated az it is,
this notion is having the effect of
curtailing building operations and is
operating to prevent people with
mean from making an advantageous
Investment of their surplus wealth.
We have a vast army of mechanics at
work in our town and we are building
la,ge number of houses but there
are goodly number of intending
builders delaying because of the So
called high prices Of material,
We are told that the price of brick
stone, lumber, hardware and almost
all the materials that enter into
houses has left the earth and scared
into the sky. While there is an ele-
ment of truth in this suggestion, the
facts and results depending upon
them have been greatly exaggerated.
Within the past five months the price
OF material has indeed sharply adj
vance but it must be remembered that
goods had been selling at panic
prices. Many forms of building ma
terial are higher than year ago it is
true. yet they are thirty per cent
cheaper than they were seven years
ago. A good building can be con-
structed today for only a small per
cent of what it would have cost few
years ago when modern improvements
were luxury and stone front was
only owned by wealthy people.
Thanks to the progress of invention
the words finished material" have q
far different meaning now from what
they did some years ago. The car
penter has lost moreIthan half of
his vocation. He no ,longer planes,
boxes and mortises but simply puts
together.that which has been made
and fitted In factory. seidom en-
ploying more than his hammer, saw
and square. rs a result his share In
the construction Of building has be-
come trifle compared to the same
some years ago; and also the plum bers
Ras filters, painter and almost oil
labor employed upon . building, oven
the hod carrier finds modern ma
ehinery has and is we'll nigh des-
troying his occupation. Because of
this, manufacturing and fitting
aud finishing material under ooRdi-
tiOns where divisions Of labor holds
full sway the cost of building Is much
less than 1t was ten years ago. In
deed so rapid has been this movement
in the last year or two that it largely
effects the recent advance in material.
Those who engage in the building
operations only when pricesl are low
seldom make success of business
since the low prices do not stop with
material and labor but extend to rents
and include the 6Aished structure
which too frequently assumes the
form OF the proverbiai white
elephant. Rightly regarded the pre-
sent lie the time to build. The public
has come to demand first clses houses
and first class houses can be construct.
ed now at far less cost than in the re-
cent past and the first class business
and business men demand and will
have and occupy first class houses.
Building last year, both residence
and business buildings, was far below
the normal mark. Business is rapid
ly improving and houses of all kinds
will soon be in active demand at in
creased prices and choice property
will command choice rent.
A RUIIDER