Evening star., 1923-03-24
SOARING COSTS PUT
CHECK ON BUILDING
Rise in Labor and Materials
Cause Postponing of New
Operations.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch 70 The star
NEW YORK, March 24-IndicationS
that increa sed costs OF labor and ma
terials are checking building opera
tions. at least to some extent, made
their appearance today These wer.
| especially noticeable in New Yorl;.
the southeast and middle west. L.
New York tho situation has bee,
! complicated by a court decision hold
ing unconstitutional the exemption
from taxation on dwelling houses
started before April |.
In the southeast there has been a
sharp drop in permits issued for new
buildings, and realty men and cor =
tractors admitted today that the ris-
ing costs Of matcrials-notably brics.
and cumberland Increases in wages
are responsible. New projects an
nounced, however, still are above
normal.
There is increasing complaint in
the southwest and middle west over
costs of material and labor and there
is no doubt that these factors NJ,
checking many enterprises, large ann
small. although the volume OF cor I
struction still IS OF record propo--
tions.
No Price Fireworks Expected.
However. lumber supply and den.sI
! arc now coming closer together and
price fireworks are not expected j.
that commodity. The mills both
have felt the check in new orders ar!G
many Pacific northwest !umbermeu
declare prices have now reached In"
top. Quotations in that section ar
off about 81 q thousand feet frorl
recent figures. Efficiency in the mil!A
have increased and the average ouB
put per man per hour is now eight
board feet as against forty feet thre"
years ago. Cement prices are stead
and output has been raised 10 the rat
of 10000, 900 barrels a year.
There is still an accumulation OF Dc
ferred building, according 10 NilS"r
Compton, secretary Of the Natiora'
Lumber Manufacturers Associatiou
$4,000. 100000 and much of this i
capable of further delay if building
costs get out of control
Wages in the building trades are
scale based generally on Sl25 an hour
for brfcklayers, carpenters and other
skilled artisans. Plasterers and
fathers in some cities are making as
high as $50 day.
Advances Steady Textile Markets.
The advance in wages in the big
New England woolen mills had a
kets and on the labor situation in the
cotton mills. Wool growers have
stiffened their demaid in belief that
the mills will continue practically
capacity operations, and many expect
to make enough from this years CLIP
to pay the original cost OF the AMI
mails.
The immediate passing on OF these
wage increases to the ultimate con
SINNER is not expected. as most mills
nr0EuC-
ton throughout the summer, ahG
clothing manufacturers have covered
their requirements for the season
pretty thoroughly. a;1
The slight drop in raw cotton olu
not serve to counterbalance labor dlS-
putes and other factors, and the prlces
of cotton goods remained steady, "ltA
trading extremely cautious.
steel Output on Up Grade.
steel production and prices contir-
ued to advance. with makers anythlhE
but anxious TO book heavily for fu-
ture delivery at present quotations.
The automobile industry showed ho,
sign Of slackening its unprecedented
activity, with makers urging deilN-
cries of raw materials and buying ana
storing all they can handle. The vol
ume of orders for railroad equipment
is so great and manufacturers are so
certain of continuation of the bust
ness that large locomotive plants like
Baldwin are already reserVing space
for certain roads in 1924. although the
orders will not be definitely placed by
the carriers until later.
Oil production is increasing in the
gulf area, the midcontinent field and
in California The Sinclair Oil and
would more than double it's refining
capacity at Houston at once, increas-
ing it to 10000 barrels of crude day
Copyright 1921