Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-05-25
NO CHANCE OF Immediate
CUT IN FURNITURE PRICES

According to prominent furniture
dealers of this city IL Will be nine
months or a year before there e any
chance of a reduction in the price Of
house furniture. This ts not very en-
~couraging to the young people who
are planning to set up a little nest Of
their own, but nevertheless Il Is the
fact set forth by those who ought to
know. Proprietors of the furniture
house placed the cards on the ta-
ble,' so to speak, by showing COM
munications from furniture manufac-
turers n communications from those
selling supplies to the furniture max
ers. The trend of all these letters was
that before furniture becomes cheaper
It is likely to rise.
The main reasons given for this
condition are the increased cost OF
labor and lumber. the shortage of
both. and the fact that the demand is
greater than the production.
Throughout the furniture districts
OF the west, 1t Is said. furniture man
ufacturers are suffering from labor
conditions. Many of the largest fur
lniture factories are close down, 1t Is
declared. u to strikes of employees.
This keeps the production down and
the prices up. Lumber is at q pre-
MUM. In fact the story is told of
one of the large manufacturers who
recently purchased a 100000 farm
in order to cut down the trees and use
them for crates for the finished pro-
duct.
Mirrors which go a long way in
making both bedroom and dining
room furniture has advanced, it was
stated. from 1915 to s2S.
Rug and carpet manufacturers are
extremely Independent in regard to
prices, the local dealers say. When
fAl1 thne nnAR1n xrAlI ,zAN I,Vxr Of ~.aa-
ent prices they say hat they don't
care whether orders come in or not,
that they can turn their looms INTO
the manufacture of automobile car-
pet. for which the demand Is far
greater than the supply.
Some idea OF how the price of lum-
Der has advanced may be obtained
from the following figures given out
by local Dealers: Sap gum in April,
1919, was $40 per thousand feet; in
April this year 1t was quoted at S115
per thousand feet. Red gum in April.
1919, was $50; In April, 1920, it was
$500 a thousand feet; plain a in
April 1919, was s73 per thousand in
April 1920, It was s205 per thous-
and; quartered oak in April 1919,
was $112 per thousand feet: In April
1890 it was 1910 per thousand feet.
Other wood has increased in proper
ton.
When Albert Leon was questioned
as to the chances OF furniture being
cheaper he showed fifty or more let
tiers from furniture manufacturers
all to the effect hat instead of fur
niture getting cheaper. 1t Will advance
to q higher price. "ln these times 1t
Is not a question of making sales
said Mr.. Leon, the thing is to retain
the good will of the people n got
down to a fixed policy OF selling. !
am anxious to prove to the people
that we are honest in every statement
we make"
Arthur Stern. of Stern & Company,
when, consulted said: The labor sit
uation will keep up the high cost OF
furniture as the mills are working
only about one-half time and the pro-
duction is not equal to the demand,
We are In hopes. though. that in the
near future we will be to change
our thoughts. The carpet mills are
over sold for a year and the price Is
advancing all the time"
Ludwig Wolff, of the Ludwig fur
%niture House, stated: Il ear sec no
chance OF the price of furniture
coming down. Only today ] received
a notice of a ten per cent. increase.
The manufacturers are not producing
the goods and the supply is greater
than the demand so the prices will
stay up. The cost of labor, lumber and
freight is mostly responsible for the
increase"