The New York herald., 1921-07-05
BUILDING OUTLOOK
MORE CHEERFUL
Next Few Months Should Of
fer Larger Volume of Busi-
ness to New York.

With brick manufacturers forced to
pay war time prices for coal and ore
dieting that the 1921 low brick price
has been reached and passed. and with
building material dealers cutting the
price of Portland cement 10 consumers
twenty cents barrel, and with metal
prices slipping, the second half Of the
building year begins without much sta
hility says the current Doio Ssrvtoe
Daily Building Reports.
I, Hollow tile prices have been reduced
and so has the dealers quotation to the
consumer on neat wall cement. which
has been lowered by 81 ton. on tho
other hand lumber prices as far as the
run of the market is concerned, seem to
be more uniform. Indeed. this material
together with glass. certain finishing
material like white tile, marble, some
oils and certain other building COM
modities that have been In competition
with foreign products of similar nature
may be expected to attain more stable
market behavior under the new tariff
scneduler
Common brick was selling in the
wholesale market at the weak end at SIS
for the best grades Here and there it I
was reported by some of the dealers that
they had been able to purchase run of
the market" brick at S14, but not every
one was able to obtain this material at
the low price,
Procrastinating Buyers Beware!
Manufacturers say they are obliged
to pay wartime prices for coal with
which to burn the brick they are now
manufacturing. This Is ascribed as their
reason for believing that those who are
holding off brick purchases in the hope
that when the 1921 brick begins to ar
rive in any quantity they will be offered
at prices below s14s15 Wholesale will
be disappointed. Brick buying at the
week end was active enough to warrant
a price of at least $3.50 q thousand
wholesale for the best grades Of brick.
especially since production and towase
costs have not shrunk as In other lines.
IF past performances in building con-
struction may be depended upon and the
rate OF development in building material
movement continues. the next few months
should offer the building trades of New
York much larger volume of business
than a recent similar period has offered.
Wholesale buying seems to point to
this conclusion In all departments ex-
cepting lumber. which has been rather
overstocked and has been moving slowly
until the last thirty days or So There
are evidences TO be found In current in
duiry to show that railroad purchasing
Is soon to be resumed on moderate
scale
Speculative Builders Hesitate.
Speculative building construction
awaits wage cuts and a further shad-
Ing in the building materials which have
dropped since last years peak about 30
per cent. counting the latest price cuts.
Brooklyn. however. Is showing reaction
from a policy of procra stina ton, as far
as individual home building Is concerned |
While the professional speculative build |
er is frankly holding back for further
nresgre price cuts. the individual builder !
is now satisfied that with all the press |
ure applied upon manufacturers and dis !
tributers alike, any further price cuts /
if made. would hardly warrant waiting /
for in view Of the lateness Of the build |
ing season and the probability that any
excessive demand would duicSiy result |
in readjustmeni upward of prices.
Metal price reductions are due to
scarcity of orders. Mill operations con-
tinue to be at low level and more mills /
were scheduled to close the first of this I
month. Prices are weak even at the |
reduced figures now being quoted on 4
steel sheets. Many mills have not been 4
soliciting business except for material 1
they could ship before the 1st of July, |
or that can be delayed until mill opera |
tons are resumed. Further price adj |
iustmepts are expected in this depart I
n1ent.
The price cuts in Portland and neat (
wall cement that are reported In this
weeks lists are not nanufacturers' re-
ductions but are due to the eagernsss |
OF the dealers to win what business is
now coming out in this market. In the |
prepared roofing department manufac- |
turers announced that new price sched- |
ules issued on June 13 were subject to |
further revision downward. effective |
as Of June 80.