The sun., 1918-12-09
100000 HOMES
NEEDED BY ALLIES
U. s. Manufacturers Will Be
Called On to Supply the Nee
cssary Building Materials.

Belgium. England and France are
about to call upon the United States to
supply building material and equipment
for at least 100000 houses, according
to William c. Redneld. Secretary OF the
Department of Commerce. says the Doto
Service Daily Building Reports to-day.
This fact. with disclosures concerning
the domestic building situation made to
various trade conventions last week. has
brought the American building investor
face to face with a rather serious condi-
ton. The problem centres chiefly In the
question Of building material demand
and the capacity of American manufac-
turers to meet an unprecedented domes-
tic call for construction material and At
tho same time take care Of the inpera-
tive requirements Of other parts Of the
world
A computation Of the probable amount
OF new construction is being made At
present. and II is already evident from
figures at hand that there is approx
mately twice as much building construc-
ton in project in this country to-day
as in the best previous years ever re-
corded. No consideration Is given ia
the building demands of South America
and Canada, where American cement IL
already supplanting the German brands
that formerly were almost exclusively
used.
The building investor Is face to face
with an alternative Of either taking
what material he can get at existing
prices or deferring his operation until
prices come down. II he proceeds he
will have to pay high prices but also will
have demand for the finished building.
II he waits he may find prices lower,
but the demand will not be there. For
eign building material demand. as far
as Europe Is concerned, probably will
be only OF years duration. but that
of South America will be of a permanent
character. The demand for construc-
ton material in the United States can
not be met, even with present plans in
project. short of two years based solely
upon normal demands. This demand
now has expanded from domestic TO
world proportions The estimate does
not include speculative construction of
any kind.
The price situation a. it pertains to
domestic building materials is develop
ing without regard TO organized control
so far as can be discovered by a rigid
investigation into the price markets.
The mason material dealers are taking
the almost unheard OF attitude OF coun-
selling against anything like arbitrary
price advances. In fact. a Federal de-
partment is watching carefully for any
evidence Of price advances that have no
foundation for the movement For that
reason, while no fixed Government quo-
tation has been made in certain impor-
tant basic building commodities. the
Government Is holding a potential control
over any commodity that shows signs
of stanrpedng. The Government looks
to the building and allied Industries to
absorb much OF the returning soldier
and naval labor. and the intimation is
plainly made in some channels that II
intends to see that its plans are not up
set by any price manipulation that will
Brighten of the prospective building in
weston.
Prospective builders will find Il TO
their advantage to consider fundamen-
tails in determining to defer construc-
ton. 1t took ten years for building ma
terial prices to find their normal level.
with few exceptions, following the
civil war. The construction programme
OF the country then was only sectional,
whereas to-day 1t Is worldwide and far
beyond tho capacity of present American
building material manufacturers TO sup
ply It when II gets into full stride.
Prices OF practically every building
commodity are remarkably steady.