New-York tribune., 1920-08-30
Construction
Market Nearer
Stabilization
With New Railroad Rates in
Force, No Apparent Dis
position Is Shown to Take
Excessive ADVANTAGE

"Spstter days. which in the YER
nacular of the building trades describe
the readjustment period, are drawing
to a close. according to the Dow Serv-
ice Daily Building Reports.
The week closed with q new 40 per
cent freight rate increase in effect.
The result upon building materials
shows Hudson River common brick
lower by from 50 to So a thousand;
lnseed oil, affecting paint prices some
time into the future if continued. off
about eight cents gallon. AS far as
the local construction market is con-
cerned, the new freight rates leave un-
changed the gravel. grit, crushed
stone, wire lath, wall board and plas-
ter block departments. 1t affects as
phaltum, front brick, fire brick, hol-
lew terra Gotta ireproofing tile. few
OF the lumber items in more insistent
demand, plaster and limestone. The
items which probably will be affected
include the delivered price on Portland
cement, lime, window and plate glass.
iron and steel and expanded metal
lath.
The new freight rate on cement from
the Lehigh district is 394 cents bar
rel Most of the companies are adding
to the cost, therefore. 80 cents a bar
rel. although some have made it 40
cents, to Jersey City. There is a con-
fet of opinion in the market as to
whether lighterage charges are to be
added to the new price per barrel
Pending this decision the dealers were
unable to make quotations at the week
end. AS the price now stands con-
sumers will pay from II to Is cents a
barrel over the present delivered price
of $50 barrel
Lumber price quotations carrying the
new rate apply to items which are
scarce and which are coming in under
the new freight rates Later on in
creased freight rates will have more
weight than al present. AS rule the
new rate makes a difference of from
$50 to So thousand feet, with some
exceptions to the rule, however.
There is a new price of S1.81 to S1.85
or limestone, and the rate probably
will be approximated in sandstone.
Granite will show a new rate OF almost
the same proportions. The new prices
on hollow tile freproofng material are
merely fraction over what they were
before.
Proposed to Fix Brick Prices
In fact. there is no disposition ap-
parent in any department to take ex-
cessive advantage of the railroad rate
increases. 1t is a fact that there is a
marked sentiment in the entire build
ing material market toward bearing
the price OF building commodities. 1t
has even been proposed by certain
building material dealers to fix the
price of Hudson common brick in this
market for a period from September
to November at $50 thousand, whole
sale. Other dealers, however, point out
that there is nothing to be gained by
thus manipulating the market, because
the reaction that will occur when the
cF-brick that viii be pushed for sale
during the $50 period is disposed of
Will only be to greatly accentuate the
value of the better grades that will be
held back until the demand here be-
comes sufficiently great to absorb them.
There is a growing feeling that there
will be a S27.50 brick market before
next spring. Good brick is even now
being held for S25.
The big, strong factor marking the
close Of the "spatter days is that there
is the nearest approach to stabilized
building material market that this sec
tion of the country has seen in over
two years. Conservative buyers as we'll
as sellers do not hesitate to say they
deplore artificial stimulation of the
market when this years current manu-
featuring costs are still unknown.