New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-10

Brick Brings
Record Price
LILA for $50 Load of 3, 900;
Rain Interferes With Pro-
duction of New Material
and Little Supply on Hand

.,nmon brick holds the center of
e .ar interest in the Eastern build
obstruction industry, according to
Z current "Dow Service Daily Build
- Reports.
he long season of wet weather in
"a and the heavy downpours in the
g~sson River, New Jersey and Con-
ass;cut brick manufacturing districts
s.mnered production up to July d,
ssreupon clearing skies lured open
~ workers in many manufacturing
...,jons to prolong their holiday. In
f..ssouenee brick shipments into this
s.,ket were light last week, and many
,..lsrs we're without any supply of this
&ss;lding commodity whatever as the
Hssek closed.
The direct result OF this turn of
.v.nts was to place an unusual value
..on secondhand brick, which touched
+ sse top, so far as available records
kew st the price of $50 load of 5000
#ssiivered to job sites above 10th
.rset o. to nearby points on Long ISL
This kind of building material Is
sold at points below 10th Street,
yManhattan, at S48 a load
New common brick at wholesale is
kuoted at the week end at $50 to S21
n 1000, wholesale (add cost of han
SdIng, haulage and 10 per cent for de-
4lIyered prices). It is being taken as fast
In it can be obtained from arriving
8barges and is being ridden direct to
fiobs, no dealer carrying any in stock
excepting dock loads, which may be
Bviled in order promptly to release
kkarges for the return trip. Some deal
sIs are receiving brick from distant
points by rail every day and a small
feusntity is coming in from Connecticut.
/ In both Jersey and Connecticut local
demands are quite sufficient to take
care Of practically all the plants can
produce, so that the Hudson River dis
.yict is apparently the only important
source of supply for this market.
Big Projects Postponed
Under such circumstances it is to be
sxuected that prices would have q ten
dency to advance, but so far. at least,
there seems to have been an inclination
70 sense the waiting spirit on further
housing enterprises for the present
brick pressure to subside sufficiently to
bring about market of less pressure,
and hence lower prices. More than
s5000,oo0 in building projects are def
nitely being postponed awaiting more
settled situation between supply and
demand for basic building materials.
like brick. This attitude is being sup
ported openly by building loan in
terests.
queer twist has been given to the
brick situation in consequence. So
called higher grades of brick are bring
Ing $50 a thousand and the brick rated
by the trade as of lesser quality are
being held at S21 upon instruction to
agents by manufacturers to sell them
only at that price. Dealers, many Of
whom are deliverers of brick to build
ers under contracts signed months ago
at SIT, have refused to pay more than
$50. Producers of higher rated brick
have met this level, while producers
Of brick graded lower still rigidly
held at sci and are selling all they can
snip, according to their agents.
T8mmercial construction does not
call for as much brick as the type of
Housing construction that has been
largely responsible for the excessive
brick demand this year so far. A
fairly representative Bronx tenement
will require 100000 lower graded brick
which will be set up quickly, whereas 6
commercial structure viii
use more decorative materials excep'
for interior work; hence the bricl
quantity will be lower. Just at pres
emit the big rush is for brick to fnisl
partly completed tenements in antici
patton Of October renting, but new
work of this character requiring this
type of brick is being held in allegiance
for lower prices.
Meantime there is strong CONNER.
cial building construction movement
requiring less common brick, but call.
ing for higher grades of what brick
they do use. The question confronting
brick manufacturers, therefore, is
Who is best able to wait? The an
swer, under present circumstances anc
tendencies Of the money market. is
generally given as being more favora-
bic to the financier, who is once more
beginning to feel himself in the driv-
ers' seat when negotiating for build
ing materials and labor, and by au-
tumn he apparently is going to be able
to snap the whip loud enough to be
heard throughout the building material
manufacturing industry.