The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-02-27
But Better Times Prom
ised in the Near
Future
CROWDED AS SARDINES
Much Home Building Done
But People Come Faster
Than Provision is Made

varl~Nn Oh Slhe ana conditions al
bwod for, and yet Il is a plainly oh
vous fact in no other city in the
country Is the housing shortage more
acute than in that same Tulsa
"a drive about the streets Of Tulsa
reveals an amazing number OF new
homcs, most Of them In tho process
q building. The majority OF these
are modest affairs, and inquiry re-
ysals tho fact that a majority. also
are being built by concerns rather
thar by individuals Which brings
Us 90 the subject OF spring building
and 's relation 10 tho price Of labor
,hs cost OF materials and the cour-
age ~ the individual.
Courage IL no small factor in the
situation. To the laymau. the task
oi building, under conditions as he
Understands them now, assumes the
proportions OF Great Adventure.
and for tho life OF him. he can see
himself in no other proportion than
The smallest common dcnominator
At the conclusion of operations SO
| be postponcs building a while longer
| md either goes on living in some
mes garage or paying a very high
ent for a very small apartment. or
~ y
s from building concern.
Just there, in the opinion OF 4. NJ.
Atkinson, architect, SIG Mayo build
hg is whore the would-be home
owner makes a mistake.
The majority OF people," said
Mr. Atkinson, believe that prices
are going lower soon, and they are
going 90 wait for that time. They
It1iavH, shot fI.y.. -. -
reduction as yet. There will be
'.w who will take advantage Of the
present labor and business dcpres-
sion, and going ahead with their
building plans. will find that prices
are really less. They, I'm trun, will
tel their friends and 1t will not take
u long before we will find ourselves
\ In the midst of a building boom. BY
the law OF supply and demanl that
will mean higher prices again, and
believe that it will be October be-
fore the pendulum will swing back,
and stable conditions are assured.
Then ! believe that there will be
steady building under normal con-
itons which will mean eventually
relief from the present acute hous-
ing shortage that Is handicapping
Tulsa.
labor Accomplishcs More.
In spite Of the fact that the labor
wage scale has remained the same.
u reality men are working more
Aeaply because their output Is
lger, Mr.. Atkinson believes, Brick
risons, for instance, Mr.. Atkinson
aid lay from 5000 to $500 brick
where a year ago from 1000 TO l.
100 IN the same length OF time was
he average output. Cement is
about the only building material that
Is not lower priced.
hard winter and cold winter,
With a real need for jobs, Is the SAN
st and most effectual way TO read
Just the labor situation, the archi-
tect asserted; the hard winter has
slready, done something towards
Bringing about a normal state OF
affairs.
within six months" said Geoge
Wlnkler, architect, Ala Palace
building. the situation will have
resolved itself into a condition of
J stability, but Il will be years before
the pre-war level Of materials and
labor will be reached Lumber Is
virtually the only material that has
been reduced to approximately the
hme prices for which 1t sold In
.9l4, say: ordinary or base lum
Der selling for SOS n year ago is $50
and S33 now. Brick shows rela-
lively small drop. Inc 1912 brick
sold at the kiln for s6 and s.; that
same brick now Is $3.50 at the kiln
OF course, that is large case Of la
Dor. a. materials for its making are
at hand. But even though the unior
wage scale remains the same, in re-
Atty workmen are getting less
many Of them, because II is either
that or no work. They take wha
they can get. For instance, / know
Tor fact that there are carpenters
who are working at some Jobs fo'
i5 a day because they can't get
higher wage than that.
Small Houses Favored.
Last Sunday drove about ove'
Tulsa, and l was astonished at th'
amount Of building that is going on
noticed, too, that most OF thes'
homes not all OF them, OF course
are small ones. This Is because ma
terials for these homes can be pur
chased cheaply, while high grad
materials, such as goes into the con
a struct.on Of large buildings, steel
4 cement, reinforced concrete. are Gu
out comparatively little. There ar
ysy few big buildings being erectel
now in Tulsa, in comparison VIII
4 ne stringent need OF them, Ever
ol, OF space in six new office build
Rgs could be rented now, II ther
were such buildings; | know. OF
Office buildings that are going uI
just as soon, In the estimation or IN
builders, as prices are stabilized.
4 Everybody has heard the thu
a with which lumber hit bottom. IN
decline since a year ago Is 90 pc
cent, q Brock, assistant manager o
lhe Hutchison Lumber company, 81
south Frankfort, said, which ~ pre-
war leveL II ther els change !
he price OF lumber, somethln
Ar, Brock does not expect 20 nap
pn, u would be an upward trend
at in his opinion, lumber is dow
var level. II there IS change j
ne price OF lumber, something tina
Af, Brock does not expect 20 mar
zen, Il would be an upward tren'
out In his opinion, lumber Is dow
70 stay. or course, as Mr.. Broc
pointed out, lumber, tho lowe,
Priced commodity used in houses,
reality represents a small per ceI
~ the cost OF material that go'
\ INTO any building.
n f.. Cement, for instance, IL highe
\ me average reduction in plas,erin