Evening star., 1920-11-27
BUILDING SITUATION
REEVES OPTIMISM
Present Favorable Factors
4 Outweigh Those Which
s Are Unfavorabie.

4 A more favorable outlook than the
building situation has known for
come time was presented the past
week with the adjustment Of the ma
terial market to minimum price lev
els. declares Allen E. Beals of New
York in the current Dow service re-
port.
Among present unfavorable fac
tors, apparently, are unsatisfactory
leasing laws, fear Of inequality Of
values OF structures finished next
year as against those erected and
densome tax laws, continuation of
frozen credits coal shortage and
fear Of labor union complications,"
according TO the report.
Favorable Factors.
Favorable factors include a known
excessive demand for building con-
str1otion OF all kinds. good crops in
sur,ns sorss ,,. continued tendency toward
pr1ce stability after spring Of next
year. Immigration. increasing efficiency
or labor, continued improvement in
railroad freight transportation, prob
able exemption from taxation Of
the immediate future, freer building
conditions and q building material
and equipment supply already SO close
to demand as to dictate Immediate
purchase In order to insure against
oeayeu oe delivery" 1t is stated. The
Elements of doubt still extant in
clude the fate Of the present excess
pronts tax law, effect Of winter
Weatner upon manufacturers and
Transportation. character Of legisla-
ton that is to be enacted arising
from the present building investiga-
tions, attitude Of lending institutions
with reference to speculative building
enterprises in the immediate future and
REVISION OF the building code.
Onder normal conditions and times
there are no forewarnfng signs Of the
tufnabout OF conditions In the build
Ing construction industry sufiic ntly
clear to permit Of general prepara-
ttons. but the building market has
sunk to such depths Of inactivity and
TO such heights that the mere arrest
Ing Of the plunge downward on the
one hand and the achievement Of
such record-breaktng peaks Of pro-
spective construction on the other
combine. to impress even the casual
the. long expected era Of building
activity must be Just over the thresh-
old Of the new year.
window Glass and Lumber.
'"At any rate building material
manufacturers are preparing for such
an eventuality. although with little
success so far In the way OF getting
ahead on reserve stocks. Even win
dow glass, which has been in q ragged
and almost hopelessIy weak price
market. Is now actually Strengthen
ing. although plate glass has not yet
shown the determined rebound that
window glass has evidenced.
Some lumber items are sagging in
price. especially on the cheaper. items,
As dealers vie with each other for
current spot business Offering, but the
fundamental lumber price or mill
base mintmuns remain just as rigid
rs they were when first announced
Common brick is edging for q price
above IL. wholesale, steel price maxi
NUNS are still orumbling and some
OF the independents have actually ac-
cepted ordefs at the stabilized cor
poratfon level. Anseed oil fs weak
even at the new low price level
Half month statistics covering Mo-
veniber, as presented IN the foregoing
paragraph dearly indicate that there
can be no supported pessimism re-
gArding the Immediate future Of
building In this territory. When it is
recalled that wherever cement is used,
ingredients and lumber in large
quantity also have been purchased
for the same Job. it becomes evident
that the favorable factors are heavily
outwetghing the unfavorable ones, or
the doubtful minority. with respect to
contracting policies as 1920 draws to
q Close"