The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-06-29
CONSTRUCTION
COSTS ARE ON
STABLE PLANE
AMERICAN ARCHITECT SAYS THE
PRICES ARE HIGHER ON LUM-
Der AND BRICK DUE TO HIGH
Err WAGE SCALE.

Although there has been a strongly
maintained impression in certain
quarters that building materials have
greatly advanced in price in the past
few years and that his has been re-
Elected in pronounced increase in the
cost Of construction, close students of
the situation know, and have statis-
tics to back their belief, that this in
crease is due entirely to the higher
rate on loan money and rising wage
scale. and not to material costs, says
the weekly review of the American
Architect. With but two exceptions
in the case of lumber and brick
there is now no great advance in
prices over the pre-war level of 1913.
True, there have been wide fluctua-
tons in the interim. but now that
prices are again holding firm in all
markets, with but few exceptions, it
can be clearly shown that building
material production rose and fell with
the swing of the business pendulum,
it having dropped to low points in
1914 and 1915 and risen 70 high levels
in 1915. Building prices responded IN
the main to the same causes of rising
wages and other material costs. With
the exception of steel construction
materials Jagged slightly behind
prices of other commodities because
of abundance of common building ma
terials and competition between num-
erous producers.
Common brick and lumber were the
two commodities that have more rap
idly advanced than other materials
and have held their advance. The
increased cost of lumber and brick is
due largely to the fact that the chief
cost of production is labor. When
the demand is not sufficient, especial
Iy in the case of brick to cover the
rising cost, the manufacturers close
their plants and thereby curtail pro-
duction and prevent overstocking the
market Today brick in the New York
City is $500 per thousand, as COM
pared with from So to $500 per thous-
and seven years ago, an increase Of
more than 100 per cent. But brick is
the exception o nthe list. even lumber
failing to show such a startling rise,
excluding perhaps yellow pine, oak
and maple flooring.
Other building material manufactu-
rers. for the larger part, with their
high overhead costs are tempted to
run their plants at full capacity even
though they must lower prices to sell
their entire output. Structural steel
prices naturally outstripped prices of
all building materials. OF stone, In
diana limestone has shown the most
consistent strength.
In listing commodities for their rep
resentative character and their rela-
ton to fundamental building condi-
tions a summary of copper, iron and
Steel lead and spelter has been made
for the period from 1913 to date,
showing the wide fluctuations that
have occurred and how there has been
a gradual return to pre-war figures.
In January, 1913. copper was selling
at IL cents a pound. BY July of that
year it had receded to 14.121-2 In
July, 1914, it further eased to 1880,
the low level April, 1917, found cop
per at 80, from which point there has
been gradual decline to the present
level Of 16.
The rise and decline of steel bfIIets
is even more spectacular. In Janu-
airy, 1913, open hearth billets at Pitts
burgh, wholesale. sold for $500 per
gross ton. $1,000 was the low mark
touched in July, 1914. From that