The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-16
BUILDING MATERIAL NOW CHEAPER THAN FOR SEVERAL YEARS Investigation Shows Notable Decline In All Glasses of
 Building Materials
RAUL DISCUSSES CAUSE
 OF PRESENT SITUATION
Lumber, Cement, Building Stone, Glass, Plasters, Hardware and Plumbing Goods Are Few
 Articles Showing Decline.

The coming season has much to offer among the lumber men, and others who handle building material, that nearly all kinds of material will be much cheaper than it has been for several years, or than it probably ever will be again
 ',rhere has been a general over-produc- tion in the lumber mills over the coun- try" said John L. Kaul, president or the KauI Lumber company last night '.and this fact coupled with the fact that building is off about B Is per cent this year, as figures sent out Of Chlcago show, is responsible for a very marked decline in the price of lumber from that of last year. great many lumber mills' especially the yellow pine concerns, nave not reduced their output and conditions having caused an under consumption py the buyer the great supply of lumber has brought down prices.
 There has been a reduction in the price of nearly all classes of building ma terial from the high range of values that prevailed a year ago. The greatest per- centage of reduction in cost will be mo- ticeable in small construction, such as dwellings, because the proportion of lum- Der used in such buildings is greater than in large buildings used for com mercial purposes.
 sLumber has declined in price, aver aging from S2 per 1000 on northern pine, $5 to $7 on yellow pine and hemlock, S6 on western lumber, and $1.50 to $4 on hardwoods, less than a year ago. shin gles, red cedar extra A" have declined 70 cents per 1000, and clears 45 cents per 1000, since last March"
 Investigation shows other reductions as follows:
 Cement has declined from 25 to 95 per cent in price during the year. A year ago the city of Minneapolis placed contract for a large amount of cement at $l.7O per barrel, this year a contract was placed at .12 per barrel. Retail prices have declined from 35 to 50 cents per barrel.
 Common brick average $1 per 1000 less than last season.
 Building stone has been reduced about 10 per cent in value.
 AlnuOW SldSS IS " pti SCAI io"OA eiie'h last year.
 Plasters are from 10 to 20 per cent below last years figures.
 Hardware shows a considerable decline in some items, being about 10 to 20 per cent on the whole on builders hardware.
 Plumbing goods are from 10 to 121s per cent less.
 Structural iron shows slight reduction in price, but not in proportion to the marked decline in pig iron. Foundry No. Cincinnati pig iron sold year ago February 20 for s26; this year at the. same date for $15.75.
 It Is stated that, on account of pre- vailing conditions, labor is now available at lower rate of pay, common labor being plentiful at for $1.25 per day as compared with $1.50 to S1.75 last year. There has, as yet. been no reduction in the scale of skilled labor in the cities, but in the smallsr jbwns. csrper packed brick Iavegated box"
 The order Is not only effective in Bi1- mingham, but is general the county over. The effrontery of the little brown jug has a fig leaf at last.