New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
Solution
Now Big Factor
In Building
Artisans Against Readjust-
ment Of Wartime Wages,
but Promise Greater Eff
cheney in Days Work
Helping Hand for Builder
Finds Encouragement Every
where, Except Labor Con-
ditions, to Enter Market

Expectant eyes in tho building in
vestment market have turned from
capital to labor for its contribution
to the rcadjustment program leading
to the solution of the building problem,
according to the current Dow Service
Daily Building Reports.
Soon after the strangulation of the
building business by high construction
costs last autumn the demand came
for a lowering Of building material
prices. The official facts as gathered
by the Calder Senate Committee on
Reconstruction and Industry show that
building material prices in tho seven
months prior to February dropped
IS points from peak in May, 1920, of
341, as against S5 points for general
commodities from peak in May, 1920,
of 272. There was q further drop IN
February of 10 points in building ma
terial, according to the Department Of
Labor.
Price reductions are still continuing
in some sections of the material mar
son River common brick, plaster boards,
hre brick, metal flooring, lumber and
change from 25 cents to 10 cents in
empty cement bag rebates are ar
nounccd in the current weeks listing.
After building material prices began
to drop lnquiring gaze was directed
toward the lending institutions and to
the financial market in general. Slowly,
but steadily, change was wrought in
that department. Financial houses be-
gan to listen more receptively to build
ing construction projects, with special
bearing upon habitation building of Va
rious kinds. Some of the lcndinr in
stitutons have advertised their irten-
ton to assist building construction of
this kind at attractive terms for the
builder. Some to-day are even solicit
ing by telephone building construction
operators with the idea Of placing
loans.
Relief Measures Pile Up
When the change came in the finan-
clal market the building investors
turned to Legislation to find out what
1t would do and the city passed the tax
exemption act applying to habitation
construction, and the state Legislature
is flooded with all sorts Of relief
measures, ranging from mortgage tax
exemption to the Governors plan to
change the usury laws applying to
mortgage interest rates to make the
maximum 8 per cent instead Of the
present legal rate of six.
Everywhere the prospective builder
has turned for encouragement TO enter
the building market to help solve the
space shortage problem he has found
cooperation. Perhaps it is because he
has the whip hand but labor repre-
sents the last contributing factor.
bClidIng trades artisans are operat-
ing IN TINS city Oh the wage premium
levels fixed by war and post t-bellum ex-
pedlency and necessity. This is also
true of some of the outlying sections.
There are talks Of strikes If any at
tempt is made to open existing agree
ments Just as there were talks of
strikes during the period when cost Of
llVlng was advancing if the agree
ments were not summarily opened to
provide for higher wages for artisans.
day strike is scheduled to start
among the tugboat captains and brick
oafge crews because the brick manu-
facturers OF the Hudson River district,
IN an effort to bring the cost of their
product closer to the prospective build
er, announced reduction in wages
Tor barge captains from S165 TO S125.
Oh saturday another strike was sched-
uled to start among the brick handlers
when reduction of twenty cents was
made from the former wage of ST..
Strikes in these two trades alone in
other times have been sufficient to
temporarily cripple the building in
dustry seriously.
Labor Against Readjustment
Labor's defense is that there is no
provision in certain existing agree
ments for a revision downward of wage
scales in accompaniment with lowering
cost Of living. 1t contends that if q
rush of building should develop during
the second half Of the year there would
not be skilled labor enough to go
around. and that any adjustment down
ward made now would avail the pros
pective builder nothing if demand
should again put premium upon the
services of experienced worknen. 1t
promises, however, greater industry
and fuller days work, citing the fact
that brcklayers formerly laid be-
tween 200 and 1900 brick a day, and
although the average dropped to
around 900 during the reign of war
REAL ESTATE-SALE OR RENT