The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-08-03
THE REIGN OF HIGH PRICES
ON BUILDING MATERIALS.

In perfect accord with the increase
in the price of iood>tutfs which the
salaried class have to purchase without
anything like proportionate increase
in wages, is the steady rise in the cost
of building materials, which is mainly
controlled by large combinations Of
capital, thus keeping the screws on the
small dealer. The Boston Commercial
Bulletin ahows the increase by the fol-
lowing comparisons:
"Ordinary spruce fame lnnber WAS
quoted al ST. in May, 1901, 500 a year
ago and $25 now; match spruce b"ards
SIS to $40 in 1901, $l9 to $2l year ago,
and $24 to $25 now; extra cedar shin
giles $3.50 minimum in 1901, So 30 in
1905 and $3.50 now; white pine uppers
$62 minimum in 1901, Ss3 in 1905 and
SIS now.
1--WE are told that a slight increase
Of the prices was Lotab!e for the four
years to 1905, the increase has been
greatly EXTENDED during the past year.
For instance it is pointed out that the
common bricks, while standingat from
S1.75 to $500 for the years to 1865, have
now jumped up to 1915 and $1,000
Portland cement rose from 81 81 per
barrel in 1901 to $l.65 in 1905 and TO
81 80 this year. Steel frame increase d
in price little at all in 1905 as COM
pared with 1901, but within year
have advanced ubou' ) p-rcent.'
The Bulletin fiuds that material since
1901 has advan' ed abuul 27I per cent.
Against this it says that building labor
has advanced l34 per cent, and about
/ per cent. for architects and con-
tractors fees, making in al about 45I
per cent. in five years
The Springfield Rcp0JHcoa thinks
that this is too h an average and
10y its own deductions arr, rs at an ay-
erage of 20 per cent. Further CON-
meutins it says:
per cent. is large and must be keenlv
itlt, When plumbing fixtures and the
like are taken into consideration, the
actual increase in the cost Of Luild nc
may lie fund to be fully as large as
represented. But why should 1901 he
taken as Il base of reckoning? Pri, ca
had Undergone Il heavy advance at
that time. Combinations, trade agree
ments aud trusts, promoted by and
finding shelter behind the high Ding
ley tariff rates enacted in 1887, and
thus taking the utmost advantage OF
the improving industrial conditions,
had begun to lift prices two or three
years before 1901, and to find out lust
what has been the increase in the cost
OF building which now impresses peo-
pc, and causes painful exclamation,
we should have to go back to 1897 and
1898.
1--WE have not all the quotations at
hand for The years back of 1901, but a
few may be gathered from the Federal
Bureau of labor's recent tullelin, Civ
, ing the course of prices tack to 1890.
Thus Michigan white pine uppers now
quoted at SIS Ter NJ feet were quoted
in 1897 and 1898 at about S46-an in
crease for the eight years of over 20
per cent Common brick, now quoted
at $40, were then quoted at about s. 80
an increase of nearly 100 per cent.
Cement shows no Incl ease, but there
is very substantial incry ase in lime,
in structural iron aud s,eel and other
forms of iron, and in glass and other
materials not included in the above
review.
Let then, the Inquiry so back eight
years Instead of five. The Bulletin
senttntiously says that prosperity is n
tax Very good; it is certainly such
under Il trust-bteeding high tariff.
Therefore extend the inquiry back to
to the beginnings of the high tariff
prosperity and get the full meaning of
the tax. 1t will be found, we imagine,
that while the cost of building may
have increased only about 20 per cent.
IN five years, III, st Of which has been
added in one year, the increase is
uearer 40 to 30 per CEN. in the eight
years