The Washington times., 1923-05-12
BUYERS Strike
IN BU|LD|NG
SPREADS
Cen. r. C. Marshall, Jr., Warns
Profiteers That Eventually
They viii PAY Piper"
by GEN. r. C. MARSHALL, Jr.
General Manager Associated General
ComtractoPs Of America.
wwy.AAku. 1aA~~~nnAls, Rnr rMavSA Aaamnlkmw

by GEN. IF. G. MARSHALL, Jr.
general Manager Associated General
Contractors Of America.
written ExpreeDly for Cosmopolitan
News Service.
REGARDLESS OF the different inter
pretations that may be put upon re-
cent DEVELOPMENTS in the construc-
ton industry, 1t is, nevertheless,
true that q buyers strike" Ii now
on in that industry.
Ny conclusions are taken from
what / know OF the construction
business, together with press reports
coming from New York city which
tell in no unmistakable words the
story OF what always results when
business places no restraints upon
its operations for profits.
with more than $50, 900. 900 worth
ST building projects abandoned in
New York city in the two days Of
May and 8, on account of high
materials prices and mounting labor
costs, it is time right now for con-
struction contractors, materials men
and labor to take stock; and, having
taken stock, take immediate steps To
iron out, take up the slack, or do
whatever else ID necessary to
harden down" the building indus
try to reasonable bases of profit;
otherwise we are doomed to.a slump
that will financially flatten out half
of the building industry in the
United States.
Finds Situation Serious.
The situation is serious. Men en-
gagged in building operations seem
to have gone mad. Prevalent corr
stantly rising prices OF materials
and labor are not in harmony with
sound business practices. have in
mind a case which is typical of con-
ditions. / know o responsible con-
tractor who, on Saturday received
quotations on materials he intended
using on job.
On Monday he bid on the job.
basing his bid upon the quotations
he had received on Saturday, and
his bid was accepted.
Before he could order the ma
terials on Monday, he received a.
wire from the material men with
drawing their quotations of Satur-
day and tilted their prices from I5I
to rs per cent.
There was absolutely no excuse
nor reason for this, in view Of the
solidity of the market at the time,
except greed for more profits.
The manufacturers prices had not
changed. and yet. somewhere be.
tween them and the contractor, from
is to 25 per cent had been added TO
the price. because it was believed
they could get it.
This is only one OF number of
similar cases / happen to person
ally know about.
While 1t appears, at this particular
moment, that the big construction
jobs. only, are being abandoned I'M
the large cities, 1t is the little fellow
who will be hit hardest when the
buyers strike" begins to really get
under way.
Must Pay the Piper.
Reports that have come to me
from all over the country indicate
a tremendous number of dwellings
being built, or proposed. in small
towns and suburban cities. Their
number must run up into the hun
dreds Of thousands.
A. buyers strike will put this sort
Of contractor out of business. with
resulting loss both to himself and
to the great class OF valuable citi-
Zens whose housing needs have not
yet been adequately met.
There is time yet to meet together
and call q halt upon this wild orgie
of greed and profit-taking some
where between the producer and the
consumer of construction materials.
Labor and materials men must un-
that their bread is best but
tered with reasonable wages and
rea sonablA profits. Else within six