Evening star., 1923-07-07
TRADE. SHOWS DROP.
IN BRICK ORDERS.
Recession in Building Activi-
ties Believed Seasonal
to Large Extent.

II is a question whether the publicity
itself, emanating from an eastern
organization, or the condition against
which the publicity was directed, Is re-
sponsible for slight recession In new
building operations Current reports
from brick manufacturers from all parts
of the country show that there is a gen.
eral decrease in orders on books. Only
two districts show gains over the pre-
vious month and all the others are from
% per cent to so per cent below the May
l record. The Illinois. Indiana and
Wisconsin district. Influenced very
largely by figures from Chicago, show
that orders on books have been in
creased by IL, 900. 900 brick since the last
Digest was issued month ago. Ne
braska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri also
report an increase In orders. The latter
states were among the last to show
evidences of the building tide of the
present year. Speaking of the report as
a whole, there was slight decrease In
both the burned and green brick on
hand in the yards, accounted Tor oy the
extremely large movement of brick from
the yards during the past thirty days.
There has been no slackening in produc-
tion and there probably Will be none
until there is much greater cut IN new
business than has yet appeared. The
price remains stable, there having been
no change for period OF more than
year in most sections of the country.
Chicago continues to be the minimum
price market, with brick at $l2 per
thousand delivered on the job. New
York has the highest price. due to heavy
towing charge and delivery charge. plus
the dealers profit. New York is the
only large building center in the coun-
try where the entire supply Of common
i.,l nh
1t is the view of many brick manu-
facturers that the falling off in new
business is to large extent seasonal. 1t
in customary to find that in mtdsum-
pleting work started earlier in the year.
Many manufacturers anticipate an in
creased volume Of new business by the
beginning of September. and few among
the brick manufacturers of the country
view with alarm the present situation.
Cost of BrickIaying Labor.
The cost of bricklayer labor is the
target for considerable unfriendly COM
ment in the newspa pers, but invariably
in the sections where there is much
building the bricklayer's pay is fixed by
the contractor, who bids above the union
scale. Wherever there is much building
all skilled craftsmen are getting more
than their demand There is no COM
plant of bricklayer production. The men
everywhere are apparently giving good
Qdy WORK. But uue To tDt ldCI tldI
the days work of the brcklayer can
readily be expressed in the form of a
unit of work-brick laid per day--a unit
easy to check and easy to discuss. his
production is too often mentioned in a
deprecatory way by those who are dis
satisfied with building labor in general.
and who want to give point to their con-
tentions by referring to specific exam
pies. In nine cases out of ten the
bricklayer will be mentioned owing to
his easily measure BILE unit of work. But
most people fail to remember that the
bricklayer, in common with all other
crafts, now works eight hours per day
instead of ten, and that the record
amount of brick laid per day which
sticks in their memories was probably
laid in wall thicker than walls are
built today. and the thicker the wall the
faster the brick are laid. Nobody could
expect the same number of brick to be
laid per day in, say, dwelling house
wall eight inches thick by bricklayer
working eight hours 1aV "a