The New York herald., 1921-05-31
CONDITIONS BETTER
IN BRICK INDUSTRY
May Encourage Many Builders
to Award Contracts Soon;
Late Realty Deals.

Improved conditions in the brick in
dustry give tangible promise Of a corr
responding Improvement IN the building
field, according TO the Dow Service Daily
Building Reports. With common brick
flowing more freely into the market as the
q burst OF structural activity soon after
the holiday. This activity will probably
take the form OF awarding of contracts
by builders who filed their plans some
time ago but who were awaiting more
favorable conditions in the material
market before assuming the risk or pro-
ceeding with their projects.
The brick barge ca stains who refused
to accept a wage scale below the war
time s1s5 level a month finally accepted
a settlement at s135. Brick handlers
in Brooklyn have finally accepted a
wage cut from 81 to so cents thou
sand and have gone back to work. Man
haitian handlers, however, are still con-
tending for the 81 rate and were still
out at the week end. Manufacturers
barges were being cleared by substitute
crews working on the adjusted basis
wherever .barges tied up in Manhattan
were being unloaded.
Based upon unloading activity of
brick barGes the greatest present vol
ume Of actual building construction
work will be in Queens and Brooklyn.
where up TO the last OF the week ten
barges OF approximately 100000 brick
each had tied up for Immediate unload
ing out OF the feet sent TO this market
Immediately after the captains went
La ,ty 60 Ia n a Ycceiyad
four barges. Bronx three and New Jer-
sey two
Actual building erection in Manhattan
and The Bronx continues to be far be-
low the subnormal rate estimated for
these two borouShs during the brief
period of construction revival at the
opening of the building season in March
The now of basic building materials
into these two boroughs is now negii-
gible.
The year has 50 far advanced as to
point out a possible menace to prospec-
tive builders. with especial reference 10
the question of supply. demand and
price. There are no reserve stocks. This
is q condition that does not make for
free building movements. Indeed, it is
actually tending to reduce, rather than
increase, the number OF building dis
tributing agencies.
There are old established building
material firms in this city for whom
the judicial vindication from the eX-
parte charges of dealer-profiteering
may come too late. The waning trade
has not been directed to other dealers
to be some day won back by earning
the public's renewed confidence. The
prospective building material consumer
has withdrawn from the market en-
tiraly. When the building investor does
come back to purchase there may be
firms missing who are now well known
There is such fear OF the existing law
that tho helpful hands that in other
days might have been extended to busi-
ness friends in distress are now with
drawn and in consequence there Is In
operation the cold commercial rule OF
the survival OF the fittest.
This outcome as 1t Is beginning TO be
seen by building material manufac-
turers as well as by analytical building
investors is inevitably the projection az
the entire building material supply and
distribution industry OF New York into
still narrower channel instead of
much broader building material dis
tributing market where open competi-
ton might be expected to have much
fuller sway.