Evening journal., 1921-09-01
BUILDING COST
ISON UPGRADE
Plate Glass Latest Example
Of Tendency Toward
Reaction
STEEL PRICE
is UNSETTLED

NEW YORK. Sept. Window
and plate glass are the latest fac
tors in the building material mar
kot to show price lifting tendencies.
according to the current Dow serv-
Ice Daily Building Reports.
General disturbance Of steel prices
has unbalanced the structural steel
price situation al a time when IL
seemed as though some stability
would develop. There is at least,
some improvement reported In in
auiry. especially for material to be
delivered in 1922. but now that an
other price cut has occurred some
Of this business may not be closed
until the latter part Of this year.
There has been a slight increase In
tonnage. Prices seem to depend en-
tirely upon specification.
Spruce lath at s10.50 a thousand
has not been officially recorded as
turning upward, although some
dealers in this city are selling at $ll
and some at S1150. The reason for
this stiffness in price is ascribed to
shortage OF stock at mill centres.
From mill centres word comes that
this material is low in stock because
1t pays the manufacturers better 10
turn their spruce into paper pulp to
meet the demand for newsprint In
the melntime the stocks OF lath IN
New York and vicinity are becoming
so low that some dealers are sup
plying .he needs OF their competi-
tors.
Hudson common brick In the
wholesale market is being absorbed
rapidly. with supply plentiful for the
present rate Of building construction.
Raritan common brick is moving
into New York at the same price az
Hudson common brick. or SIS a
thousand. wholesale. to which musi
be added, for delivered prices, the
cost Of handling, haulage and 10 per
cent.
The major supply OF secondhand
brick is coming at present from the
lower section OF Manhattan, where
buildings are being razed for the
T. tutIAA AANo'IAE ANNAAhH N"RN''N
Quently, while truckloads OF 5000
were lately purchasable above Forty
second street at s33. it now costs SS5
for this brick II delivered between
Forty-second street and 10th street,
and $3.50 II delivered above the
northern limit Of Central Park or in
Long Island City.
There has been a slight reaction
in price Of asphaltum for paving,
roofing and waterproofing purposes
to contractors, paving being now
quoted at S22 and roofing and water
proofing at s23.
Building materials for the mos
part are well sustained In prices
Reaction in steel prices has, in the
recent past. been the forerunner oi
price changes in some OF the other
basic building materials, but mar
ket authorities did not seem to think
that such would be the case in the
current instance.
The factor making for higher glass
prices is due. first, to a great dis
turbance in the glass making labor
market in Belgium. and, second. 70
The fact that about one-third OF the
American window glass producing
capacity has closed indefinitely. The
other two-thirds OF the American
glass industry is operating at about
25 per cent. of capacity.
Stocks in jobbers' hands are now
extremely light and replacement
they report. is becoming increasingly
difficult. This scarcity has tended
TO advance jobbing prices Of window
glass
Up to recently the inflow OF Bel.
Kian glass has forced American
manufacturers to meet the foreign
competition on prices, but the en-
forced closing OF the European mills
due to labor disturbances, has no
only stopped the acute rivalry for
market. but has made II necessar'
for the American manufacturers &
further cut production costs II pos
sible.
Pending their success in this re
gard window glass production prob
ably will be low and as supply is al
ready greatly diminished In jobberi
hands prices are already turning up
ward. The situation applies wit
almost equal precision TO the plat
glass situation. There is some Bel
rian glass coming In, but Il Is goln
10 the Pacific coast in fulhlment @
large orders placed long time agl
The Eastern market is practicah
free just now from Belgian glai
competition.