The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-04-02
REVISION LEGISLATION TAKES .SFzAI

Dor gets into the building in the form
Of prepared materials.
MIR, Croak--"Our purpose hero to-
night Is to prove 10 the public In Ham
mond and the surrounding cities that
the wages received by the building
craftsmen is nothing In comparison
with the cost Of the building"
AIR. Croak then quoted an article
from The American Review of Reviews
showing tremendous jumps in the cost
Of materials Typical OF these in
creases was that ar a house built IN 81.
Paul Mimi. in 1915 from certain
architectural plans. cost $4,000 not In
Guiding plumbing. heating and WIRING.
ia October 1919. that house cost S7,724,
less than six months later. IN Febru-
arg. 1890. i could not he built from
the Identical plans for less than SILL
$50 The lumber and mill work alone
fiji 1920 cost more than the entire house
had cost III 1918. Tho lumber had in
creased 3o4 percent and the millwork
e22 per cent.
From this il viii be seen that in
creased labor cost has almost nothing
TO do with the tremendous boost in the
price Of buildings. When the prof.
teerers rake-on ceases a building can
he erected for something like rea-
sonable outlay. and that without PEN
alizing reduction being imposed upon
the building craftsmen. who at no time
daring This entire era Of malicious
price boosting have ever come within
haIing distance Of the alleged in
ereases he is rcputed 10 have received.
which IN fact upon actual comparison
Indicate an inability 10 keep pace with
the increased cost Of living with no
serious thought Of exceeding that
amount even by the small sum cautf-
Gus dnanceering would deem essential
a. a safety measure"
Mr.. Croak then produced g state
ment by + F. Davidson, president of
tho Illinois Society Of Architects in
which no argued that If the men IN
the building trades were cut from SLAB
10 $t0o an hour that the saving would
be 3 per cent.
AIR. Croak then produced Mr.. David
sons figures in itemized form on q
small factory building which actual
bids revealed IN his January article
could be erected for s55I2S2 a de-
crease in total Of per cent from last
July.s peak
There were twenty-six items and
NAt1 t-~~~to NGlC F3fFs tAp Or Oo-od per
cent Of the cost for materials and
S202,266 or 1851 per cent Of the cost
for labor. Mr.. Davidson then made
the statement that II labor were TO cut
costs 20 per cent and the contractors
reduced their overhead by 30 per cent
on that part charged 10 labor the total
reduction in cost would be 1856 per
cent
Air. Davidson makes caustic reply
to the suggestion Of a Chicago banker
that # building costs were reduced to
within % per cent Of The pre-war level.
the bank would loan money at per
cent and TWO per cent commission.
Twen7 y-fve per cent increase over tho
pre-war level would just about cover
the advance in freight rates, says Mr..
Davidson. Mr.. Davidson claimed
freight rates had been increased zoe
per cent.
Mr.. Croak then taking his own Ag-
ures of the labor on an average $500
bungalow as being around $500 he said
the saving resulting from a twenty per
cent cut would be about 1853 His
final argument was that if you want a
workinglnan to own his own home you
have got 10 pay him enough to make
IL possible for him 10 buy a home
(To be continued)