New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1919-02-15
BUILDING IS VITAL
TO EVERY BUSINESS
High Cost Of Materials Is Retard-
ing Construction Now
What is holding back Du1ldlnS and

More than five hundred opinions on
| this question have been received IN
| the last two weeks by the informal
! ton and education seVlce Oh the
| United States department OF LABOR.
| Many building authorities blame con-
| eress, others charge the financial in
forests of the country with respon-
sibility. In the central west, freight
rates are said to be eXerting an in
| furious influence. In the main. nigh
! costs Of materials are held to be the
| chief obstacle.
! Don't expect private capital to
| build merely for the sake of furnish
ing Jobs for Workmen' writes q
WelI-knoWn architect from Buffalo.
! THAT is the obligation of the gov
eminent, be it local. state or ma
tional. Let public works be started
at once for the benefit of the pub
lie. The cost will be high and the
! public will have to pay the price, but
the public will reap the benefit in
! the reduction Of unemployment, the
absorption Of the products of many
! industries and the use Of many works
! of which there is great need"
From PaSsaic, n. j., comes the
| following statement; Il am greatly
| hndered in progress of this work by
! not being able to procure loans by
| way of mortgage, in large amounts,
! say, in the neighborhood of $3.50, 900.
| The banking institutions and mort
! gage companies are making only
small loans around here and, even
| where there is ample security, will
| not consider investing a large amount
| of money i'll one place
! Labor conditions and demands are
! held to be unfaVOrablc to immediate
| building operations by many of the
| authorities writing to the informa-
| ton and education service. An archi-
! tect, writing from Lincoln Nebraska,
makes the following statement, typi-
| cal of the complaints along this line:
| CONSTRUCTION work in these parts
! is now and has been impeded not a
| little, due to the unreasonable de-
| mands of labor not only for eXorbi-
| tant wages, but more by the fact GER
| tain very undesirable trade rules are
| being enforced by labor organizations,
which run up the cost of doing
| work enorm ously.'
Many of the contractors and build
| ers in the central west assert freight
rates are the chief trouble. Typical
| of these arguments is the following
! from Greenville, Ohio:
1--WE have no complaint to make
! Ill the ultltGl vi securing CItdllS,
! building Materials and labor. 1t is
| true that wages are quite high and
/ vet not prohibitive. The greatest detri-
| ment to our industry through the
! central west is prohibitive freight rates
on sand and gravel. 1t is not only
| threatening to destroy our industry
but at the same time it is impeding
| highway construction and other
| building projects which demand q
! high grade of these basic Materials"
| Lack of cooperation on the part
| of financial interests seems to be the
! outstanding obstacle in New York.
| One of the best authorities on tho
| building industry in New York city
! sums up the situation there in this
! fashion:
| 1--WE have in the United States ser
| ious difficulty owing, principally. to
| the unwillingness Of financial inter
csts to cooperate in building projects
with the material and labor market
| in it's present condition. We are
! working on q. total of nine industrial
| projects involving important indus
| trial ccnters, but in each case we
| are hampered by the building loan
! situation. The only definite work we
| expect to carry out without delay is
! located outside Of the United States"
From st. Louis, Mo, a we'll known
| architect writes: Il am firmly con-
! WINGED that the one thing the building
! public wants to know is the cost of
| building today as compared to the !
next three to five years. If they could
be assured that the cost will not drop
| within that time there would be al
| tendency to proceed with the needed |
work.
AS for the last question the infor-
! nation and education service of the |
| department Of labor, through the di- |
| vision of public works and cOnstrUc- |
! ton development now is seeking au-
| thoritatiVe information as to what can !
| be expected in material prices for the |
next five years. While the investiga- |
| ton lacks completeness at this time, |
no definite conclusions may be stated. |
Many eminent building and material
authorities, however, insist that 40
marked decrease in material prices
| may be expected for the next five |
years They assert with some posi- |
| tivcness that pre-War prices on build |
I ing materials will not be re-esta blish- |
ed for several years, if ever. These |
| assert that persons who delay build |
| ing costs probably will be disappoilt |
ed and will have denied themselves |
! the use of needed property and the !
| revenues which would be derived |
therefrOm.
In response to the department of |
labor's inquiry as to future rates on
building and construction materials, |
! the I. S. railroad administration as
sertS there is to be no general so per !
cent advance on freight rates for |
sand, gravel, crushed stone and Stag.
The rumOr that such advances were |
contemplated was arousing anxiety in
the central west. Under date Of jan
uaTy 20 the railroad admin istratiOn |
put out a circular which says: There |