New-York tribune., 1922-05-15
Ask Tariff Cut
roEndBuildine
Material Trust.
ITntermyer Sends Congress
Memorial Seeking Quick
Action to Stop Profitcer.
ing and Aid Housing
Cites construction DELAYS
Charges Ship Board Pact
With Foreign Lines Helps
Keep Up Freight Rates

Samuei ohtermyer, counsel FOR the
y lockwood housing committee. sent a
/ memorial TO both houses Of Conrress
yesterday requesting the adoption Of a.,
1 emergency tariff measure permitting
the importation Of basic building mate
RAILS on a competitive tariff basis.
Il is the counsel's contention Tim. a.,
result OF the big boom in build;nc
throughout the country. manufacturers
Of brick, sand, lime, cement and other
materials are exacting exorbitant prices
n some instances as higi as so nor
sent above reasonable profit. and +hst
dn ess the situationE is remedied. badly
needed housing construction will ~
nsralyzed at the outset. He s,ooests
an emergency tariff that would allow
American manufacturers nroft or
10 10 20 per cent.
Memorial Sent to Calder
NJ. Unternyer said that the memorial
n duplicate had been forwarded tn
Senstor Calder. with the request for i :
immediate introduction in both honsaS
He expected the matter to 90 heforc
ooth branches of Congress today or TO.
morrow.
The counsel explained that the mo-
,osed tariff would enable the builder
,lmost 1mmedlately to get brick de-
i7ereo on the Job at not exceeding sis
Thousand instead of S24 and So
when 1t IS now costing. He said there
vas no doubt that the manufactur
Tsre taN'ng advantage of the temporary
rials, especially in brick, and thst IN
ess this situation could be relieved !.
you'd seriously interfere with tho
omprehensiye program of building
ons'rueton that is now being assisted
y the Lockwood committee.
IN the course Of his memorial Mr..
!ntermyer points out that the hous;nc
'hortage is IN large measure due 70
she operations Of illegal combination,
unone manufacturers and dealers in ali
Kinds Of building materials and illegal
raies and practices among labor unions.
de then goes on to say:
comprehensive program Of hous-
ing construction has been perfected,
part Oh which is under way. for which
many millions of dollars have already
been provided. A considerable part of
this program is now actively under
way, which, If permitted to continue,
vii go far toward correcting the hous.
ing shortage, not only in the CITY of
New York and throughout the state.
but throughout most of the great cities
OF the country, the majority of which
are affected by the housing emergency
out In lesser degree than in the City
of New York, where there is present
shortage Of housing accomm odations Of
the cheaper class for about 100000
ers, all Of which is set forth in detail
IN the accompanvinc re0ort
Cites Increase in Rents
"The result of this shortage has been
=: abnormal increase in rents, which
the workers are unable to pay, and
thers have been and are consequent
oVercrowding and unsanitary and un-
h"ab conditions. 1t was hoped and
expected that the carrying out Of the
program Of new construction would re-
htve this critical situation. The COM
rn!ttee now finds that there is a famine
IN the basic materials required in
building construction such as bricks,
sand, lime, cement. etc. The supply of
these materials has been restricted in
many cases through the operation of
those unlawful combinations and in
other instances by reason of the phe-
nonenal demand due to the increase
nf building activity that is essential to
meet the emergency.
THE exactions of manufacturers and
dealers in building materials due to
this scarcity Of supply have resulted
in abnormal price increases and in
the demand on any terms. Manufac-
turers and dealers are either unable
or unwilling to satisfy these demands
ano- basis of reasonable prices over
and above the actual cost. This sit
ua,ion prevails not only in the City
of New York, but in many Of the cities
throughout the country and for the
same reason. Unless corrected it
threatens TO paralyze the efforts TO
correct the present crisis.
Chatges L. S. Aids Combine
attention is also called to tho in
congruous fact that the government Of
,he United States, through the United
States Shipping Board, IS said to be
tself 7arty to arrangements with
foreign steamship lines to maintain ex-
orbi.ant freight and passenger rates in
10 trans.Atlantic trade, and as q re-
cult Of these combinations there have
beer various increases in such rates
that sre now being maintained TO the
9etr mcnt OF the building industry
thro lghout the country.
- Mess this situation is corrected
n Nntinuance Of these arrangements
wil materially interfere with the i'm
rvrt tion into this country Of building
-.st -ials unless Congress will, in fix
a. re tariffs, make such reductions as
I'll take into account the added cost
snsportation due to the fact that
ru' .oaernment is party to combina-
against which its antitrust laws
r. lrected.
,e only immediate remedy in sight
permit the prompt importation
this country of building materials
&c classes that are now excluded
gh prohibitive tariffs under cover
oich the present profiteering de-
Al 8 are being exacted. The added
# freight upon such importations,
d. TO combinations between the
steamship companies, increases the
burdens to that extent.
THE committee would not favor and
does not ask that the tariffs be fixed at
rate that will not yield the domestic
naNuf6cturerS .rd dealers reason