The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-27
For the Good of
 The Community

section does the reviving activity appear to be greater than in any other section, though, due to local conditions some cities may not be sharing in this improvement to the same extent as some others.
 A bulletin just issued by the National Lumber Manufacturers association, reporting conditions in the lumber market, says:
 Lumber statistics of the manufacturers for last week show large increase in orders received and this is true especially in the great southern lumber region and all along the west coast. The southern pine manufacturers show a big jump in orders and the northern pine and Carolina pine regions indicate slight advance in orders, and the former cutting more than usual'
 "We believe it to be our duty as public officials to advise the public not to delay building projects in the hope that prices will come down measure ably We do not believe they will" reports the Illinois legislative committee Investigating build ing material prices.
 And the central stabilizing committee of the District of Columbia after an investigation of the local situation reported: "The present level of prices of both material and labor represents stable basis from which to figure construction work for the year 1919 and nothing can be gained by further postponing building operations
 It has been stated that values are relative; that if labor and materials are higher now than few years ago. the things that labor buys with it's wages and the things that the lumber manufac- turer buys with sales receipts, cost more, and so on down the line The merchant pays more for his goods and sells them for more. The farmer pays more for what he buys and gets more for what he sells.
 The dollar still represents 100 cents but it will not buy as much today as it did five years ago. The laborer must receive higher wages, because he must pay more for necessaries
 The property owner the contractor, the mate rial man. the laborer all get more dollars, but the dollars do not buy as much of any commodity as they did before the It is simply question of higher cost all around.
 Take the item of lumber which enters largely into building construction The Illinois legisla- tive committee, referred to above, makes this comparison:
 'In 1918 1000 feet of lumber purchased 234 bushels of wheat as against 12.4 bushels in 1917 f In 1913 1000 feet of lumber purchased 35 bushels of corn as against 16.3 bushels in 1917. One thou sand feet of lumber purchased 29O pounds of hogs in 1913 as against l80 pounds in 19l7 One thou sand feet of lumber purchased POI pounds of ba- con in 1913 as against 1O9 pounds in 1917. One thousand feet of lumber purchased 10 barrels of apples in 1913 as against 81a barrels in 1917. One thousand 1eeC or lumDer puTcnaSoQ lSU pounds of cotton in 1913 as against 133 pounds in 1917. One thousand feet of lumber pur- chased BPS yards of cotton sheeting in 1913 as against 216 yards in 1917. One thousand feet of lumber purchased 1949 pounds of steel rails in 1913as against 1725 pounds in 19l7."
 In Birmingham building operations have been held in abeyance since the beginning of the year in anticipation of lower cost of material and labor. It has not come to any appreciable extent up to this time. It probably will not for several months, perhaps not for years
 In the meantime there is an acute shortage of homes in Birmingham. Some real estate agents estimate the shortage at 5000; others more, some less; but all agree that the condition IS acute.
 One realty company is erecting between 20 and 25 houses, and it is understood that most if not a of them either have been sold or will be sold as soon as they are ready for occupancy Others could, and no doubt would do as we'll.
 Material men-lumber brick, stone, cement say there will be no marked decrease in prices this year at least, and labor, now on higher standard of living than ever before, will not consent to work for less than present wage scales until the purchasing power of money is increased.
 for of