New-York tribune., 1919-04-21
Real Estate Market News and Comment
ing the net earnings under per cent,
permitting dividends of only per

ing the net earnings under per cent,
permitting dividends of only per
cent.
At the conference where these fig
ures we're read attention was called to
the fact that the common brick inter
ests supplying this market at the pres
ent price had actually figured on
maximum return of 2 per cent, and In
some cases had been, and actually
were, operating a. loss.
Duty to Relieve Housing Situation
The government asks US to cooper
ate to the maximum of our ability. We
believe 1t is just as patriotic for us
to help in shelterlng the people at
homo ms it was to help house the SOL
dicrs in training for service abroad.
and records will show that IN tho ma
jotty OF cases the prices paid by tho
government for basic building mate
flhls. outside Of steel. did not allow or
profits sufficient to carry our overhead
expenses during the late fcconslruc-
ton period Now We are asked, ~
the fnce Of the biggest demand for
building materials the country has
ever known, TO shrink our pfonts, 20
stabilize our prices to help alleviate
this latest menace Of lack or proper
housing. We are glad to patriot cnlly
cOOpciAtt III tHIS ItRhIu, bHl - ;" ''"
to be interpreted by builders ns mean
ing thnt 'thc government, or anybody
else, has got us on the run, and that
if we hold Off little longer prices WILL
be down to prc-war times
elf the man who has money to build
will only take sound counsel and not
misinterpret the present building ma
teral price levels and the causes that
place them on the artificial pegs on
which they now hang. he will get his
options on the materials he needs right
now. Price stabilization is one thing,
but ability to produce materials in
quantity is another matter entirely,
and we have been reading about the
exodus of common labor from America
in the daily papers ever since the
gateway to Europe has been unlatchcd.
You cannot produce basic building ma
terals without 'wheelbarrow' labor in
quantity. Skilled labor, that which as
sembles building materials into fin
ished structures, is plentiful. Wheel
barrow labor. enriched by wartime
wage scales. is going back to Europe.
Who will take their places in the
building material manufacturing
plants?"
elemental material lines In the gen
der-constructed situation include
further Is per cent reduction over
the recent 25 per cent drop in the
price Of American radiators, a 5 to
10 per cent drop in floor plates, 8
per cent on pipe hangers, n general
drop in boiler tubes, cement coated
nails and lnoleum. Lumber is firm,
with price advances promised in many
lines.
February in the local building ma
terial market will mark the low spot
for building material demand for the
war period During war time govern
ment requirements took up the private
building slack. Besides, it was a short
month. The gain in local movement
of all materials in New York distribute
ing yards during March was 13 per
cent and the April movement has al
ready passed that figure. Outside of
New York, where building materials
are now cheaper than any other part
of the country, construction is get
ting we'll under way. This is partcu-
larly noticeable in the New Jersey,
Connecticut and New York State sub
urbs.