New-York tribune., 1921-10-03

Costs Take
u Upward Jump
Heavy Demand for Brick and
Limited Supply on Hand
Resnlt in Advance; High
err Charges for Lumber

Week by week the general cdnstruc-
tion market reveals its returning
strength, first, by more active inquiry.
then by price stiffening here and there,
and finally by actual price advance. ac-
cordlng to the current "Dow Service
Dally Building Reports"
Confirming the opinion expressed in
the bulldlngs material trade in the first
part of August that the awakening Of
the construction industry would mark
the low price level for 1921, the fore
most among the basic building ma
terlals, common brick, turned finally
toward higher level last week. when
tne market was definitely recorded at
Slo-$l6 wholesale, to which for de-
iVered prices must be added the cost
Oh handing, haulage and 10 per cent.
Whlle this lead was taken by Hud-
son River brick, Raritan brick fol-
loWed suit at the week end, having also
lel1 the pressure against limited SUP
Brick Cost Goes Up
The trade finds some significance in
TINS turn in brick prices on the ground
that practically none Of the great
quantity of brick coming into New
york IN August t-September went into
dealer reserves. Had it been so. the
demand would have been quickly de-
tecueo as artificial or speculative. But
slnce practlcally every brick coming
lhto New York is going right into ac-
Cuai pulldlng construction operation
mostly in Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx
boroughs. and dealer reserves have yot
TO be lald in for the winter, the price
turn upward is justified by manufac-
tuners upon the law -s~ ~.--rly and de-
mand. The fast-approaching close of
'he prlck-maklng season for many pro-
uucers and the unexpected change in
the autumn winter building outlook
with no official count yet made of the
i92l-l922 brick reserve up the Hudson
have had stiffening effect upon brick
IN particular and in all clay products
in general.
The prospective investor who further
nelers ms construction plans in the
nope OF finding building costs lower is
Woolng futile fancies. The low point is
building material prices in the a,rore- -
gate has been reached The turn
dates from the middle of August. There
is no reason, taking the market as a
Whole, Tor building material prices to
drop. Here and there sag NAV be
reported. like that in linseed oil, after
ITS recent rise, but offsctting this is a
series of price advances in amber.
Metals are plainly headed upward.
In the yellow pine flooring depart
mcnt, for example, it was only few
weeks ago when the Wholesale list was
on S49.50 base. To-day that depart-
ment is strong at $3.50 and material
IS scarce even to important dealers. In
the middle of August the wholesalers
were IN the market with S42.5O list
and were perfecly willing to cut it to
$40 To-day the mills are quoting SAB
to $40 a thousand and stick there on
take-it or eave-it basis. Oak is
frmer by SIS. In fact maple flooring is
about the weakest factor in the lumber
market just now. 1t is selling down
to comb grain yellow pine flooring
prices.
Demand for Lumber
Building analysts do not look for
lower lumber prices when the national
lumber associations report for the four
weeks IN August-Septembcr closed
September II, national lumber cut Of
657 7,966,7l1 feet, as against shipments Of
667 1922 ,t63 feet, with orders on hand of
726,677,G67 feet.
Economis lists cannot foresee price cuts
in cement when mill capacity is almost
taxed, if, indeed, in some instances it
Is not actually exceeded by shipments,
and with distributors still without re-
serve stocks. The brick manufacturers
are sending out brick from the cooling
kllns, instead of from storage sheds.
Ihe glass mills have just started up
with iobbers' stocks everywhere de
Dlctcd