Evening star., 1924-10-02
PAINT SALES GAIN;
BUILDING LETS UP
Improvements Now Big
Boost to Demand-Aut0
Firms Good Buyers.
by j. c. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, October 2.-Building
construction in general Throughout
the United States has slumped. The
paint manufacturers Of the country
who are in closest touch with the
building situation admit that it has
slumped, however, only in sections
And while the building industry af-
fects hundreds of thousands of manu-
facturers, distributors. merchants
and workers all over the country in
many lines of industry, this admission
does not, at the present time. renect
the slightest indication of slacken-
ing of trade or a diminution OF pros
perity.
For paint sales have gone up in
spite of the slight lessenlng or vol
ume of new building contracts, and
paint" is a barometer of general
conditions second to none. In the
larger cities housing shortage has
been satisfied at least temporarily
but inhabitants of all sections eVi-
IDENTIFY find themselves able TO make
improvements and betterments.
Sales of the Sherwin Williams Com
pany, one of the largest paint and
varnish manufacturers. are ruhnlns
between $4,000 and 100000 week
or approximately 100000 week
higher than in the corresponding Pc
riod of 1928, a remarkably prosper
Gus year, according to L. ii. Schroe-
der treasurer of the company. This
increase, Mr.. Schroeder added, was
especially evident in the agricultural
sections of the South. Midwest and
Far West and reflected the improve
ment in the condition of the farmer
and stock raiser
Trade sales to dealers who mark e'
direct to customers undoubtedly were
better than sales to manufacturers
he declared. but the improvement II
industrial production also was re-
fiected in the present business. rms
is noticeable especially in the auto
mobile field, where the production
has been speeded up and where paint
and yarnish consumption directly re-
fleets the number of cars and trucks
prod 7ced.
DYE Products in Demand.
Since the Sherwin Williams Co
has over 5000 dealers il the con-
sumner trade. it is evident that the
sales reflect conditions obtaining il
many sections of the country. The
Improvement in the textile trades ir
late weeks has been accurately and
Immediately reelected in the sales
OF dye products. The company IN
question makes few completed dyes
but specializeS in the so-called in
termediates." or rough products from
which finished dyes are made.
Increase in the production of paint
and varnish has had also a decided
effect on the demand for tin plate
since the larger paint companies
make and use as high as 225.00C
cans 4 day to contain their products
Much of the demand has been due
to the cleanup and paint-up pro-
throughout the country as result
of the save tho surface" advertising E
campaigns of the paint men. One
OF the most marked tendencies at
present is the rehabilitation of old
houses. both on the farms and in
the smaller cities.
The activity in the paint field has
been influential in speeding up both
the mining industry and the process
ses by which metals used in paints
and pigments are extracted. The sta
tisticaI position of lead is stron 81
today than for many months. Mr.
Schroeder declared that while lead
nominally was quoted around s cents
q pound, actually Il premium was
necessary when imm ediate delivery
was desired.
The position Of zinc is far less
strong than that of lead, according 10
paint men, since zinc production has
had TO be restricted to avoid over
running consumption, whereas leao
production, affected by the price OF
silver, which usually is a factor iI
lead ores, has not kept pace with re-
QuirementS.