The Washington herald., 1922-09-10
BUILDERS AGAIN
DEMAND ROOFING
SLATE FOR HOUSES
Production Curtailed by
Fuel Shortage But
Still Exceeds 1921.

Roofing slate Is coming back into
its own. The demand and shipments
OF roofing slate in July. 1922. were
the greatest In several years, ac-
cordIng to producers reporting to
the National Slate Association. Many
buildings and homes are being re-
rooted which were rooted with tenn
porary materials during the rush OF
war construction, when the produce
tion Of slate was curtailed by tho
exodus OF many workers into
service, and slate, because of its
natural beauty. durability. and hre-
proof characteristics. is receiving
the majority Of this busifiess. The
shipments of slate for roohng pur-
poses, according to the reports from
over 80 per cent OF the producers
exceeded the July production by
nearly 60 per cent. so that consid-
cradle inroads were made into the
stock on hand as OF July l. Pro-
duction in July showed considerable
increase over that of June. and Au-
gust promises even higher figures.
The demand for blackboard slate
continues to climb. Already, in the
first seven months of 1922 in the
twenty seven Northeastern States
reported by the +. w. Dodge Com
pany statistics, more contracts have
been awarded for educational build
ings by over $30.000.000 than In the
entire year of 1920. Hospitals and
institutions likewise have exceeded
in the first seven months Of 1922 the
whole years total OF 1920. Religious
and memorial buildings in the same
period have exceeded the total for
1920 by over $l3,0O0,000: residential
buildings by $22l.O00,00O. All OF
these classes are large consumers
of slate In its many forms-black-
boards, which are used not only in
schools, but in factories, sales Of
fees, newspaper buildings. religious
and other public institutions: elec-
trical, for switch boards. panels.
fuse boxes, etc, and the various
kinds OF sanitary and structural
slate. steps, risers, wainscoting'
baseboards, pliRths. etc. From the
report Of the producers, the July
production of blackboard slate has
exceeded the demand by over 10 per
cent, but there was available in
stock on hand August l more than
200, 900 square feet Of blackboard
slate in excess of untitled orders.
Some difficulty has been expert
enced by the producers of slate
through the embargo placed on slate
in transit. under the priority orders
Of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, but fortunately il has been
lifted in time to permit delivery Of
the slate on the job without delay
ing or holding up construction.
with the possibilities Of congestion
due to the effort to catch up on the
coal supply of the country as soon
as the strike is settled. purchasers
OF slate should anticipate their late
Fall demands, in order to be certain
of receiving the structural. roofing
and other forms of slate for their
requirements.
Two OF the largest quarries OF
the country have been shut down
for nearly three months on account
of strike. Even discounting the
loss of this large production, it Is
believed from the total figures Of
sales of slate for the first seven
months of 1922, which are aver
aging now well over 100000
month for natural slate, that IL this
rate continues for the balance Of
1922 this year will be one Of the
best the slate industry has expert
enced in the last decade.