The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-03-21
QUIZ REACHES
BUILDING
MATERIALS

At eight O'Clock this evening in
Room No 1 OF the Lake superior court
house the third and fourth sessions OF
the committee investigating building
conditions Ia the Calumet region Will
be held in Hammond,
The building material situEtion will
be- gone into thoroughly. The public
wants TO know whether or not there
is prodteerins in building materials
whether or not prices have recsedSd 70
z permanent level and whether or not
there is any reason to expect prices
ever TO get back TO the pre-wer basis.
Already the fact has been brought
out that economic conditions make it
improbable that there will be an re-
duction in interest rates for years 70
come And IN fact that interest rates
have increased but little. II any, so
far as they affect the small builder.
The bearing that freight ratea have
or building costs viii come Up for
consideration. Many people believe
that until labor costs of producing
lumber. brick. hardware and plumbing
come down and until the cost OF trans
porting these Things comes down that
there is no hope OF lower building
costs.
REAL ESTATE MEN HAVE INNING
Then the real estate men have their
inning. The cost Of lots is . factor in
the total cost OF a home or q business
block, The real estate man is going
to have to defend present values Of
vacant reat estate.
His commission charges are also to
be gone into The real estate man
wants to know; the public wants 20
know, the prospective home buyer
wants TO know whether OF not present
brokerage charges are too high. be-
cause after the builder has bought his
lots and built hts houses and placed
them on the market the ultimate pur-
chaser has to pay. in the last analysis.
for the cost OF marketing these houoes.
The real estate mans advice on the
question OF the investment feature Of
business and residential property al
present prices Will be OF great interest
for the reason that real estate men
make it their business to know market
and investment conditions. That is
their speciality. Attorneys fees and
abstract expense viii be gone into.
Both have raised in the past few years
just as have real estate commissions.
FINAL SESSIONS IMPORTANT.
All OF these preliminary sessions are
important IN laying the sround-work
for the final sessions which are to take
UP the question Of the labor element
which goes into AL building enter
prise,
At a date to be announced later the
building employers are to be called IN
by the investigating COMMITTEES and
asked about the building game from
cr that is compelled by his position to
be the buffer between the general pub
lie and tho demands Of the craftsmen
in tho building trades.
Then will come tbs testimony of the
building trsdesmen themselves. Every
question has two sides to II and the
employees side Is 3ust as important as
that OF the fnanciers or &he building
material man.
The attendance at the last session
indicates a growing interest IN the IN
vestigation and the fact that many
prominent and less prominent people
consider the present building blockade
or deadlock a very serious obstacle 10
the quick return Of prosperity to the
North township cities
BUILDING TRADEsMEN OUT OF
WORK.
Many building tradesmen are out 81
work Some OF them have not sveraRs
ed more than 100 days year OF work
so that the wage Is coming to he less
important matter than the question of
fairly steady employment
These men are interesting them
selves in this invests CATION IN the hope
that some compromise viii suggest
itself that VIII make an active build
ing season a certainty and steady
work assured for years 70 come.
The union heads are vitality interest
ed il the investigation too for the rea-
son that they realize they viii not
long be able TO hold their men in line
If they can't assure them continuous
employment as well as high wages.
In fact everybody interested in the
building game which includes the real
estate man who sells lots: the banker
who furnishes the money the material
man Who sells lumber and cement as
well as the craftsman who furnishes
tho labor arc Interested u knowing
just what has got to 81 done to CON
vince tho genera public which is
baking At tic present timc. that Il
ought 20 so ahead and build.