New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-11

Within the same period, 1872 tenement
houses were converted to non-habita-
BILE uses. while 1870 others were entirely
demolished, causing loss of 1854
apartments. Comparing this with the
gains made, there have been added
Stree the first of the year only GOT
apartments to the housing facilities OF
the city.
At the beginning of the year there
were actually 383 fewer apartments
than at the beginning of the previous
year. In January, 1919, Mr.. Mann In
forms US, there were 983,144 apart
ments in the entire five boroughs OF
the city, while on January l, 1920,
there were only 982,761.
That the situation is rapidly growing
worse is shown by the fact that out OF
434 plans for new buildings filed with
the Bureau of Buildings in the first
six months of the year only twenty-five
were for living purposes. The rest
for alterations Of buildings within the
first six months showed that out of
1896 such plans 1888 related to dwell
ing houses which were being converted
into offices, lofts, workshops and places
of amusement.
Causes of the Situation
The Housing Commissioner does not
take into consideration the 500 or more
houses that have been turned into
two and three family houses.
Before touching upon the remedies
that have been suggested, it is we'll
to consider the causes that have led
up to the situation.
The trouble, among other things.
has been pretty generally attributed
to the crippled transportation system
growing out of the war, the present
congestion on the railroads, the con-
dition of the labor market, the scarcity
and high prices Of materials, the diff
fculty of obtaining money at reason
able rates and the fact that the build
ing of commercial structures appears
to attract the investor.
With respect to the transportation
problem, there are those who hold out
some hope because Of the settlement
Of the freight rate. 1t is predicted
that the railroads soon will be in shape
to move much building material which
has been tied up because of priority
shipments of coal and food to the
metropolis. Senator Calder, chairman
of the Senate Special Committee on
Reconstruction and Reproduction, has
asked the Interstate Commerce Com
mission to hear the builders in the
matter of the recent car service orders
which practically amounted to an en-
barge on building materials. The Sen
ator thinks the shipment Of building
material to this city should take ,prec,,
edence over all goods except fuel ana
food. =,
AS result of the railroad tie-up,
it is said, less than so per cent OF the
usual amount of materials used IN
..,ysv,r
one week. There have been some ship
merits of lumber and larger quantities
OF cement, but very little steel gets
here. Builders are not willing to tie
up their funds in building ventures
when the arrival of needed supplles
is so uncertain.
Position of the Builder
The position Of the builder is we'll
set forth by J. F. H. Perry, vlce-presl-
dent of the Turner Construction Com
pany. Mr. Perry says that the builder
is not building because OF the hlgh
estimates on the cost OF constructloh'
the high money rates at present de-
manded bv banks Of those desiring to
build, and the general uncertainty on
the following points: -,
Will the actual cost of new build
ing be within the estimate or Will
situation prevail such as prevailed dur
ing the fall of 1919 and the winter
Of : 1920, in which, owing to the strikes,
not only in the building. trades but
in the steel, coal and railroad indus
tries, costs in general exceeded esti-
mates?
will 1t be possible to complete q
building within q reasonable time In
view of the shortage Of materials and
the present congestion of the railroads
Will it be possible to put up bulid-
ing year or two hence Tor materlaiiy
less than it would cost now?
Mr.. Perry attributes the money strin-
gency to the fact that about two and
onehalf times as much money as for
merly ii is required to finance a given
unde rtaking. The banks, it is declared,
will only give mortgages on 30 per
cent of the value of the Job, so that