New-York tribune., 1919-03-17
Material Prices
Show Downward
inclination
Plaster Will Sell at ST. Less
a Ton To-day; Equipment
Quotations Are Sagging;
Other Breaks Expected

With the formal opening of the 1919
building season material price changes
will be effective to-day that will give
temporary advantage to prospective
builders, according to the Dow "Service
Daily Building Reports"
Quotations effective this morning will
show dollar drop in the price of wall
plaster to $3.50 q ton delivered in
New York, slight change in favor
of the builder in small size window
glass representing slight shading on
the part of jobbers desiring to move old
stocks and the complete withdrawal of
listed selling prices of sand, gravel, grit
ket, thereby throwing the market wide
open to the best price the buyer can
get, depending upon quantity and loca-
ton of job. Hydrated lime buyers are
being urged to get into the market on
the present level, due to Ohio price fiuc-
tuations. Common Hudson brick is
face to face with a further price ad-
vance, not so much because of scarcity
of brick in the wholesale market here
or up the river, but because of new
labor conditions that are to be formally
presented to the brick manufacturers
this week by the barge men, and, finally,
the statistics covering the Portland
cement industry of the country, and
particularly of zones l and 2 supplying
this district, show that there is no sur
plus cement or cement clinker on hand
with which to start the present build
ing season.
Other items showing a temporary
turn in favor of the builder are in
equipment lines, there being frequent
declines in iron sash weights, and cast
iron pipe interests are watching the
pig iron market for further declines.
Some drops have been made in insu-
lated wire, some in asbestos cement, a
continuation of the drop in rubber
covered wire, and some adjustment is
expected in certain steel products used
in building equipment.
Taking the market in its three gen.
eral phases, basic, supplemental and
equipment materials, it is significant
that practically the only declines are in
the last two classifcations. The drop
in delivered price of most wall plas-
ter this week is dealer cut and was
not due to any change in the price
made by manufacturers. In the basic
materials, like clay products, calcined
materials such as lime, cement, etc,
quotations are favorable to builders
to-day in that the manufacturers of
these comm odities either cannot tell
what their costs are going to be this
year or their reserves are so low as
to indicate beyond any question that
the present price lists are where they
are for immediate acceptance. 1t is
certain that the building season will
close with prices for all basic COM
modities higher than they are now.
For instance, Portland cement ship
ments out of zones ! and in January
and February almost equalled the guam
tity shipped during 1918, when the gov
ernment was crowding the mills to pro-
duce cement for war requirements. They
were in excess of two-thirds of the ce-
ment stock movement for the same two
months in 1917, before the country
entered the war. For the country the
shipments in January and February
were almost equal those for 1918 as an
average, with certain Middle Western
and Central states exceeding the de-
many by 90 per cent-notably Penn
sylvania and Ohio. Nebraska and Okla
homa were among the states that
are about the same as at this time last
year, when the mills were producing
their full wartime quota, which simply
means there is no surplus. With state
road work and a domestic building year
that is looming into unexpected proper
tons, there is considered to be no
chance of price reduction on this COM
modify. All clay products, whether
prick or sanitary porcelains, are being
held firmly to present prices.
Building material interests speculat-
Ing over the weekend upon the char
acter Of the chart to be issued some
time this week by George Peck, chair
man Of the Industrial Board of the De-
partment of Commerce, which is to
convey to the building interests of the
country acceptable" prices to the De-
bring the cost of building materials
within line of interest to the average
builder. These will not be mandatory
prices to the trade, but will serve as a
sort Of barrier beyond which com
modify prices should be restrained
where location conditions permit. The
price adjustments over the weekend
IN this market were in a measure an
ticipatory of the levels the chart will
diyulge.
The movement for price stabiliza-
ton IN the district will be crystallized
In northern New Jersey Tuesday. when
prsidlng manufacturers, dealers, lend
ers and individuals and firms from all
over the counties in that part of the
state will meet at the City Hall, Pater-
son, with representatives of the gov
ernment TO take up the building ma
tcrlai price situation and try to mu-
tuallze the Federal governments eff
forts to encourage building work of
al kinds with those of the private
bankers and individuals who want to
ouiId at once, but who fear either
pr,sc imitation or price reaction. A
gan to 500 building interests in the
New York metropolitan district has has
peen sent out for this conference.
y New Tenants for Dwellings