New-York tribune., 1921-11-28
Material Cost
For Building
Still Changii g
Price for Cement Takes
Drop of lOc ON Barrel,
While Maple Flooring
Advances i'm Last Week

With cement 10 cents q barrel lower
in price and maple flooring from SIS to
$40 thousand feet higher in price
than week ago, the building
material market is still far from a
stabilized price basis. according to the
current Dow Service Daily Building
Reports
Cement price reductions were ascribed
to two causes. One reason given for
the slump is TO the effect that once
more efforts are under way to make
New York a Hudson River price base
market The other is to meet the re-
cent undertaking policies of certain
companies with vigorous price war,
even though the present barrel price of
$3.50 delivered leaves some Of the mills
margin OF only few cents over and
above actual manufacturing cost
The dealers say that the price cut
could not be ascribed in any way-as
far 40 they can understand. at least
as bid for Increased business on the
score of l0-cent. reduction to them q
barrel. The dealers look for still fur
rher reductions, basing their expecta-
tlons upon the fact that heavy cement
requirements have passed for road
work, etc. and that the building indus
try constitutes at this time practically
all the cement market there is. Deal
ers have not, as a rule, been piling IN
large stocks of cement in storage, fig
uring, even before this rather unex-
pected drop came, that if freight rates
should drop there would be a price
change downward in cement.
The shrewd consumer will not per
~ u ,rel7 H. .l-
tlon that cement prices will long hover
at present or even lower levels.
The prudent home builder or invest
ing company will get into the market
as early this winter as possible, The
underground channels of information
available to large manufacturers ef
building materials, upon which reliance
is placed year in and year out when it
comes to laying out production sched-
ules and setting aside promotion ap-
proprlatlons, carry with them this
autumn such advices as this:
In connection with this price ad-
vance, beg to advise that f present de-
mand continues and in the face of diff
fcult winter production, others may be
expected 10 follow" Or this one from
another important producer of a build
ing commodity: "Our present prices
on established by our price
list of July y, 1921. are hereby guar
anteed against reduction on our part
up to February %, 1922
Owing to the rush of brick into the
market last week and the holiday inter
ference with regular demand, brick was
not in conspicuous market. Manu-
facturers far up the Hudson are send
ing in now their last tows in anticipa-
ton of cold weather. The run OF the
market price for brick at Wholesale is
S14.50 to S15 d thousand, to which, for
delivered prices, must be added the
cost of handling, haulage and 10 per
cent.
With the approach of winter there is
likely to be turn-up in the price Of
crushed stone, gravel, sand and grit.
All lumber is sure to continue to ad-
vance. The trade looks for stronger
prices on glass for the same reason
that the electrical trades look for a
great volume of small-work passing
into the finishing stages. Labor in the
finishing trades is much better en-
ployed than it was O. few months ago.