New-York tribune., 1919-12-08
Material Costs
Moved to New
High Levels
Manufacturers Quote New
Prices; Shortage and
Big Demand Given as
s. Reason for Increas
Brick Up Another SIPS
Small Supply of Coal on
Hand Becoming a Serious
Menace to the Industry

Comment on the building situation is
t-aade most eloquent by the mere recital
!. Of, building material price movements
4 1t the close of remarkable week. &C.
b esrdinc to the Dow Service Daily Build
ing Reports to-day.
Hollow brick advanced $1.25 . thou
ssnd, expanded metal lath moved up
cent and wood lath advanced from Sill
thousand, delivered, job site, Man
haitian, Bronx or Brooklyn, to $13, and
! finishing and common lime advanced 80
cents barrel At the same time there
was marked stiTening Of price quota
& tions and delivery conditions on COM
{ men brick, iron, fabricated material,
wire lath, lumber of all kinds, plaster,
!, mphaltum, window and plain glass,
mnd, grit, gravel and crushed stone.
Portland cement is the only commodity
that gave no positive outward evidence
Of an impending price change upward,
but the best advice obtainable from
mill centers supplying this market is
! that after the first of the year there
: will be a higher price quoted for this
building commodity.
limitations coming to this market
from sources Of building material sup
ply on Friday revealed the extent Of
( the forward purchasing that has been
done within the last few weeks in an
ticipaton of the early start of the 1920
building movement. Comparing stocks
on hand of building paper, for instance.
Is Of October 81, with the average daily
production based upon weekly and
monthly reports filed during a period of
eighteen months prior to September 80,
! 1919, there is reserve available barely
equal to seven days average output
x Weather Interferes With Shipping
/ Cold weather within the last week has
brought the close of navigation in the
z Hudson to almost point of actuality.
4 and eleven barges were all that con-
stituted the eleventh-hour flotila that
left Coeymans and other up river points
Saturday for this city. This tow was
unable to bring down all the brick that
Is being loaded on barges, and there
will be attempts made to bring down
other barges, although brick-loadi
: labor up the river is taking advantage
OF the situation to ask for higher
I wages, while zee asw forming to a depth
3 of four inches on the upper reaches of
!. the river.
4 In many departments Of the building
naterlsl industry the coal shortage is
ecom ming serious menace Cav prod
ucts plants in the vicinity Of the Raril-
Z mn RIVER IN New Jersey are very close
TO partial shutdown although some
VI the of'ek pants up the river have re-
sslyed assurance that fuel will be
available for the burning of moderate
quantities OF green brick. In the roof.
ing STATE department there is very
little mottled slate being produced IN
ihe standard No. l grade, as orders
ior the $40 inch grde are reported to
oe taxing care of the limited produc
!lon. Iher Will probably be anothe.
important increase in a price of this
Hnd OF roofing internal around the
nrst OF the year. The trade is look.
lng Tor better Quarrying conditions
! aext year with more stable, though
higher price advice is being passed
song TO dealers to load up on as much
Mate as possible before the turn OF
! the year
Roofing Material CONSUMPTION
The report of the composition roofing
parket market as supplied to the Dow Service
! Uaiiy building Reports indicates that
4 Ms peak load has been passed for this
year. and indications are much better
.SI ~. more prompt delivery shipping con-
utions next year. From the sureys
sei various markets made by the largest
4 ssompositlon roofing interests there will
~ W W heavy consumption of this material
- winter IN conjunction with a gen.
VA va, continuance of building activity,
a l,1rx 30
passes. Again in this department the
uaoe is advised to order heavily in ad-
vance, as price movements will be up
srd' with ultimate stability at lofter
tsSeis tnan now rule, some time in
'oe middle OF next summer.
IS becoming evident that the high
peak-prlce of building materials in gen
ai a. cannot now be expected until the
iseter part of next summer, and quite
) posslbly not until the autumn of 1920
las set IN. If there is any one who
aouo's this probability let him COM
sa ssse the latest available building move
neht with that of recent years.
:, Records of Buildings Planned
from compilations gathered last
/. month by the Commercial and Finan-
. elAi Chronicle it appears that the
curve line in the chart of building
recovery is sleeper in an upward d.
Iectlon than has been known in many
adecade. From the extreme low levels
u Aast year caused by various retard-
ing influences, the curve line from IT'S
ct'es reporting for October showed a
yam IN building activity of 1917 mil
hon dollars for October over the same
month in 1918 and over 70 millions
over the large aggregate of 1915. The
sassresives for the whole country for
lne ten months of the last four years
gre $50 millions for 1919, b05 millians
lor 1918, 660 millions for 1917 and $40
millions for 1915. For greater New
/ York the total is 1914 millions for
Hthssl9 as against sd millions for 1918
ad IS only millions below the high
sSsater mark for this city in 1915. For
New York City the October building