New-York tribune., 1922-01-09
Big Year for
Construction
Looked For
Present Trade Trends Tvpi-
fy Opening Characteris-
tics of Former Years
of Active Building

Present trade trends typify the open
ing charactcrictiscs Of past building
construction years that have been nota
bic, according to the current "Dow
Service Daily Building Reports"
Basic bui:dlng materials, after
touching price pinnacle just before
the middle Of 1913. following the l91
building construction movement, anC
with the succeeding eighteen month
decline. building material demand
slumpcd Off. condition comparable
with that characteristic of the period
between the second half of 1920 and
the beginning of the second half OF
1921.
Early in January, 1915, however. the
composite building material market be-
gan to reflect a general demand that
was the precursor of an era of build
ing prosperity never before attained
without the stimulus of war or Of q
postwar reconstruction period.
January Of 1915 opened with char
acteristics strikingly similar to those
of to-day, so far as New York is con
cerned. A suitable time had elapsed
to permit building investors to re
cover. in part at least. from the over
dose Of apartment house construction
IN Washington Heights and other sec
tlons. and commercial building CON
struction was getting its stride Con-
scrvativc non-competitivc building con-
tractors had been sitting tight. as they
have been doing for tho last six months
or more. waiting for the building ma
terlal price movement to reach its
lowest level, only to find at the open
ing of that year that prices had been
pressed by public demand too low for
ordinary economic prudence. With the
upward price turn that followed in
January Of that year everybody
rushed into the market at once. and
the resultant demand cvcntuatcd into
a price peak unprecedented up to that
time.
The characteristic features Of Janu-
ary-February Of 1915 was a notable
increase in the number Of building
demolition contracts awarded. The
number Of demolition and excavatne
contracts being awarded this winter
and Immediately proceeding to OK
ccution, is already the subject of gen
cral trade comment. There arc still
important commercial projects pend
ing for action that wrcckers expect
will be released for demolition before
the formal 1922 building construction
season gets under way.
Another characteristic Of an early
so-called big order building year is
the fact that common brick in winter
reserve at the wholesale docks is not
being held as covered cargocs" The
thirty -four barges at the North River
piers have been covered sufficiently to
protect them from the weather, but to
have all this supply on open market
order Tor Immediate building construc-
ton requirements is, according to bricl,
distributors, unprecedented Usually
at this time of the year there has been
an open market price quotation and a
covered price for brick held for future
requirements and protected from the
weather. Brick is riding frcer than
usual at this time Of the year, with
prices steady at $1f to Sl4.5O, whole
sale. to which, for delivered prices.
must be added the price of handling,
naulage and 10 per cent.
Just prior to the 1915 building move
ncnt cement prices in this mark Ell
were being cut by dealers below rec
cgnized list quotation. in mad scianl-
Bic for whatever business happened 20
be offered. But when the big building
construction year of 1916 had its be
ginning near the opening OF The sec
ond half OF 1915, dealers gradually got
back to the list quotation again. That
is exactly what has been happening
here recently. The $3.50 delivered list
price has been ndiscrmnately cut by
certain dealers. even though it resulted