The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-11
COMBINE SEEN IN ACT :
OF SIDEWALK MAKERS
CEMENT MEN ADVANCE PRICE 10
CENTS A SQUARE YARD.
Sudden Lift Indicates Trust Tactics to
Certain City Officials, Tho Contrac
nfok~.x.:x. Too,ooeod roc% of Mo-
terials Prompts Move-May Cause
Confusion in Last Assessment.

Cement sidewalk contractors nave
agreed to advance the price#from 60
cents to 81 cents a square yard.
This action on the part of the side
walk men indicates in the eyes of GER
tain city officials that the alleged
i" combine is in the saddle again and
that the city engineer may have to
take immediate action. The agreement |
is signed by twenty contractors, in
Guiding practically all the big firms.
The advance is made, according to the
contractors, because the price Of &C.
ment has been hoisted from $1.25 to
$1.79 a barrel.
The matter will probably be brought
to the attention of the council in the
near future and it remains to be seen
what action will be taken, as the pres
ent assessment Of 63 cents a square
yard, made last August, is supposed to
be in force until December l next If
the sidewalk men stick to their price,
| the city will have to 60 into the side
walk business, or annul the assessments
now due and in the process of collec-
ton, and no walks would be laid this
| season.
Higher Than Old Cost.
The big advance, of something like
third, puts the price of cement
| sidewalks back to where it was three
years ago. The assessed price of side
walks for the season of 19O4-5 was 70
cents. Because Of the drop in the
p1ice of cement the city cut this to SO
cents last August for the season Of
1866, the assessment price which is
now in effect.
Notwithstanding this official price
the trade was demoralized to such an
extent last year that yards and yards
of sidewalks were laid at so cents. En-
ployees of different firms set themselves
up in business and the result was a
complete SCATTERING Of the organization
which is said to have existed. The aa,
vance to 81 cents, if maintained,- d
heavy percentage Of increase.
A circumstance which will have some
bearing on the question Of sidewalks
> building is the low condition Of stocks
: Manufacturers say that it has not paid
e them to make blocks: and therefore they
: have let the stock on hand run down
8 as it was sold off. For that reason
e there is said to be only one-ffth the
p usual sQudnIlLy VI UlochS Ill tuo ydIuo
= An ordinary full stock would be abou
v 100000 square yards of sidewalking
d while the stuff on hand is said tx
amount to not more than 900 yards
d Costs More Now, They Say.
. cit costs more now to build side
>. walks than it did, said one Of tn
l. leading contractors yesterday. "Cemen
= has advanced at least 20 per cent L
n the winter of 1904-5 cement sold a
* $1.25 barrel. This year the loves
~ price to the city has been $l.79. Cemen
y. runs from eight to ten yards to tn
% barrel for the blocks alone, and col
s siderable more has to be used in lay
y ing the blocks. Accordingly we canne
or possibly lay walks at the price tia
=. prevails now, 63 cents.
- GIVE have had several meetings an
II have agreed to advance the price to
- cents. Twenty signers among the cen
of ent sidewalk contractors are on the lis
ID There are only from twenty to twent,
u FIVE firms in the city. Many have go1
" out of business on account of the /
- creased cost Of manufacture. !"