New-York tribune., 1919-11-17
Shortage, Due TO Labor and
Coal Field Troubles.
Has Started Big Buying
Movement
Price May Go to $25
Runaway Market Unless
Builders Conserve. Is
4 d v ice of Makers

Heroic measures are being taken by
common brick manufacturers and deal
ers to stem the stampede for basic
building materials in this market says
"The Dow Service Daily Building Re-
ports" to-day.
so acute Is the menace of runaway
price movement for Hudson River COM
mon brick that manufacturers, with
hardly an exception, from here to
Eohoes returned to their desks last
week from the Newburgh conference
Firm in the belief that they should do
Everything IN their power to keep the
price of this building commodity at
the present price level of SIS a thou
sand, wholesale, dock, New York. To
do this it was decided to make gen
er.l appeal TO architects, contractors
and owners now in the market Tor COM
non brick to restrict their purchases
only to the requirements of building
operations actually proceeding or un-
ier contract to proceed. One way sug-
;ested is for them not to accept CON
ract conditions where speed is a
primary factor.
There is nothing spectacular about
mis- decision and "The Dow Service
Daily Building Reports" was asked 10
make II as emphatic as possible to the
building trades that failure to comply
With this request on the part of the
producer would throw the price situa-
tion out of the hands Of the producers
and sellers, IN which event the whole
Eastern market would resolve itself
INTO situation where financially
strongest buyers may be able actually
20 corner the market.
Brick Supply Overestimated
The true situation along the Hudson
River is that the total quantity of
brick on hand is greatly below previous
estimates. Conditions have brought
about d great shortage of coal. There
arc numerous plants that have not yet
been able to get any coal at all with
which 10 burn their 1919 brick produc-
ion, and brick is not brick, until
t is burned. There is such a small
percentage of Hudson River common
brick OF the 1919 season so far burned
hat later counts show only a fraction
Of what previous estimates had indi-
Gated
The seriousness of the situation is
urther emphasized by the action Of
he Association of Building Material
Dealers OF New York. which sent out
ing an expression of their attitude
oward the efforts the dealers are
making to repress lndiscriminate pur
chasing at this time with view to
aoIding prices at present levels, or
whether they prefer to continue to buy
brick upon the sormer open market
plan and take q chance on runaway
Yrice movement. 1t was too early Sat
urday for any great number of replies
have been received. but the few that
lad come in up TO that time expressed
yigcrous support of the dealers ef-
orts. The association arranged q pur-
,hasing committee 10 keep tabs on any
fort &c stampede the price of brick to
noint above SIS a thousand wholesale,
New Y ork.
Coal Shortage Holding Back Market
Surveys show that The coal supply
menace is aready becoming "a serious
one with the brick industry and fur
her aggravates the situation with re-
gard to supply. 1t is a certainty that
practically none of the 1918 brick In
the Hudson River can now reach this
market before June or July of next
year. The New Jersey brick manufac-
turing plants, using almost exclusively
soft coal, also are affected. Further
evidence of the necessities of the mo-
ment lies in the fact that conditions
here have resulted in bringing Staten
Island brick into Manhattan, which has
not been the case for many years. The
supply, however, is limited, as com
pared with the flow of brick into this