New-York tribune., 1919-08-25
Brighter Building
outlook Seen i'm
Material Demands
h Spite of Labor Disturb
ances and Prospective In
yestigations, Orders at
Mills Keep Piling Up

tabor disturbances and prospective
a.,sstigstions are stimulating, rather
s.r checking, building material pro-
/ ,.,.ion and demand, according to the
a.r Service Daily Building Reports
y.day.
4 .,nion generally expressed in the
! ss;d;ng material and construction
..sdes that Investigations and probes
IN the causes of the high cost of
.siding materials and supplies have
.alitical rather than practical pur-
Los. This was demonstrated during
e. last week when it was found that
.,iers for building materials from
ii; soarees supplying the eastern con-
$,uetien markets had assumed proper
sans out of all comparison with actual
Hsr;ldiny material contracts placed in
,syjous Augusts. Most of the accel-
8rston. in fact, developed within the
sst five days, especially in brick and
snent. For instance:
II Large Orders for Cement
With practically the entire building
E obstruction industry of New York
ssralyzed by strikes and lockouts, and
nth rumors of all sorts of price
aueezing campaigns about to be start
j by state and Fedora officials, Port
| and cement mills supplying this mar
/ let reported ten times as many actuai
rgepty days OF August than there were
Il Iii cf l1S .,
1 more than twice as many barrels of
sreyious August since 1916.
1 Total amount of shipments of Port
I ,nd cement from mills in all parts of
/ grester than in any July in the last
1 i've years.
More common brick is demanded in
New York City to-day than has been
! alled for in almost five years despite
strikes and lockou.s. 1t is a fact that
lie demand is so much greater than
the supply that in order 10 accelerate
. ,roduction there have been wage ad
con River, which advances are for the
nsment being absorbed by the manu-
scturers Hudson common brick in
Ills market tO-uty 10 StioiiS dl @lo
= yholesale with the usual advance for
:snding, carriage and delivery to the
Oh, simply because the brick that is
I'LL coming in is Of last years pro-
iucton 1t may be positively accepted
( fact by any prospective builder that
gst as soon as the 1919 brick begins
: % come into this market the price OF
/ this commodity will be much higher
md supply men are aware of this fact,
+ .snce the stampede to take up all the
4 srck that comes into this market at
: tae present price.
Demand for Structural Steel
Structural steel offers its own illus
ration Of the trend Of the times.
George E. Clifford, secretary of the
Bridge Builders and Structural Society,
has compiled for the Dow Service daily
building reports these comparative fig
ures, showing the rapid rise in de
nsnd for structural steel (including
lordges) in the last few months. 1t
may parentheticaily be stated that ow-
ling to curtailment OF railroad expan-
sion most of this work represents
building construction.
In January OF this year u Y per cent
Of the structural steel shop capacity of
the country Was contracted for; same
iOr February; l7i2 per cent for March;
.il2 per cent in April; 80 per cent in
Nay; 65 per cent in June and "A per
ent in July August will bring the
Otal near so per cent. This point
reaches a stage when mills can pick
tesrable business at a price that is
attractive. If wage advances result
from current negotiations with steel
workers. ii is entirely reasonable to
expect further price advances in the
market
Plumbing supply departments pre-
sent the same aspect with relation to
| higher prices. SO does lumber. There
Ire likely to be further advances in
irchitectural terra Gotta. stone and
ther facing materials, including front
lor higher pegs. \ glance over cur
rent plumbers supply lists shows
pnce advances in pipe hangers, 10 per
sent' conductor strainers, 10 per cent;
globe and gate valves, 10 per cent; cell
ing and floor plates, 10 to so per cent;
apples automatic air valves, 5 to 10
per cent; soldering coppers, injectors
aud all steam specialties, approXi-
aately per cent, brass pipe, inclin-
lag upward with absolutely no shrink
age IN price during the dullest period
IL years; and soil pipe is in distinctly
sellers market
Increasing Prices for Supplies
similar scrutiny over the list of
.ssc1rical supplies shows no dearth of
Iuefs. Rubber tape is up one cent,
Eating appliances are advancing again,
.aSe blocks are up seven points. The
rpasy reduction noticeable in the whole
tas' IS cut-outs, which is considered 20
y only temporary. Outlet boxes have
,asahced 10 per cent, porcelain knobs
~ up lU per cent, and another advance
"sS taken place in rubber covered wire
IN the hardware department there is
.siceiy an item In current lists that
YVES not show sharp advance in
MNe' yet there is more business being
ssefed than mills are willing to accept
present prices.
events in the retail department of
NC pudding material market moved
,apldiy last week. The stone masons
rs rsHt out on strike for higher wages.
,as'r employers joined with the Build
~s trades Employers Association to
"S S.,so 70 torce complete tie-up of every
'ui'aing job in the district next week