Evening star., 1924-04-05
BRICK CONDITIONS
/ NORMAL IN MARCH
Competition of Foreign Pro.
ducers Not Feared at.
This Time.

Figures on common brick p-oduc-
ton and shipments during the past
month reveal normal seasonal con-
dition. While the unburned brick on
hand remains about the same as dur
ing the previous thirty-day, period
and there has been a slight reduc-
tion of Nburned brick on hand, the
quantity of brick moved from the
yards has greatly increased The
February 1st report showed that 45,-
$4,000 brick We're moved from the
Yards during the previous thirty days.
while the. current report shows that
104.663,000 brick were, moved during
the past thirty days. This is the re-
suit unquestionabIy of better wealth
er and resumption of work in the
larger cities.
The Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin
district contributed largely to this
increase in shipments while increases
are shown also from the southeastern
states of Virginia, North Carolina.
South Carolina and Georgia, and q
slight increase from Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkan-
Sas and Louisiana. California also
shows a gain in shipments.
Orders Have Not Increased.
The orders on the hooks have not
increased during the past month and
stand within about 900, 600 brick of
the point reported thirty days ago.
Chicago continues to break all rec
brdS in brick consumption In 1928
1.200,000,000 brick ware consumed in
the Chicago district, and the deliver
les for the months of January, Feb
ouary and March thus far have even
exceeded the high mark set up in the
he On
Chicago, since the great fire. in II,
has been leading brick market, but
Is Today consuming greater amount
oT brick than any other metropolitan
area in the world. While Manhattan
probably would hold the record in the
consumption of common brick in
comparison with any similar area, it
IS fact that the residential portions
of greater New York do not consume
as much brick as the residential sec
tions of Chicago. This is due to the
, fact that practically the entire city of
Chicago has been declared in a fire
zone. in which no building may be
erected with inf1ammable exterior,
while in the residential sections of
New York outside of Manhattan
frame is the prevailing material.
The brick manufacturers of the At
1antic Seaboard still have one. eye, at
. least open for the foreign brick sit
Uation. Authentic reports covering g
the receipts of brick in 1928 proved
that there was much cXaggeration in
earlier estimates of Quantities re-
Ceived. Not more than $4,000, 900
brick were received altogether from
-oreign ports. and much of this, in
fact, was not brick at all but sub
stitute made. out of sand and lime.
This material moved slowly and. in
Tact. some of it is still in the hands
of the dealers.
Shipped Imitation Brick.
One contractor erecting building
ir Philadelphia and having shipped
Il quantity of this imitation of brick
from the jobber in New York, had the
unusual experience of having his So
called brick burned up before he
could cct them in the wall, having
been exposed to q fire across the
street. This is the first case on rec
ord in which a contractor collected
fire insurance on what he thought
was brick. Even the real brick COM
ing in from foreign ports have 70
take second place to the American
made article. which is still. strong in
the preference of the architect and
builder 1t is likely that imported
brick will find a place in the market
of New York and other seaport cities
only when the supply Of American
made brick is inadequate 10 meet the
demands.