Evening star., 1945-12-30
on hand to greet him.
(LdSt OF a Series.)
BY ROBERT J. LEWIS.

: When you plan to build house
these days, you face shortages in
almost everything you need. Be-
, sides scarce lumber, brick and mill
work, seven other building mate
rials will go on the Government S
priority list January Is.
They are clay sewer pipe, struc-
tural tile, gypsum board, gypsum
lath, cast-iron soil pipe and fittings,
cast-iron radiators, and bathtubs.
Builders hardware is also scarce
here but is not now on the Ci-
william Production Administrations
critical list.
All but one of the 10 critical ma
terials seriously hamper the Dis
trict areas home building program.
Clay Pipe Is Exception.
The one exception is clay sewer
pipe. A shortage that is critical
nationally in this item is described
as not serious here because clay
sewer pipe is used mainly for
ground water and downspout drain
age purposes-and not for drainage
from bathroom and kitchen sink
fixtures, as in some other parts of
the country.
Two local plants-the Lamond
Terra Gotta Co. and the Thomas
Somerville Co., produce a small per-
centage of normal local needs. An
other plant, the Potomac Clay
Products Co., Alexandria, Is not in
operation.
The bulk of this product normally
comes from Ohio and Pennsylvania
plants, which have been tied up
by strikes for more than two
months. We're not getting clay
sewer pipe from out of town but we
have enough for present home
building" said one dealer. G-' =.
Survey Results Listed.
, A survey of District dealers de-
r veloped the following information
on other shortage items:
Structural tile-This product is
, used in home building mainly fol
, base foundations and for backing up
brickwork. A plant in North
Mountain, w. Va, from which
Washington normally draws about
80 per cent of its supply, has been
closed by strike for the last five
weeks, it was said. Even before the
,, stoppage, the plant was said to be
producing only half its normal Ca
j., pacity of $50 tons day owing to
labor shortage.
Plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio
which could offer alternative sources
of supply were reported to be closed
down, or operating at a fraction oi
capacity, also due to labor short
age.
Gypsum board and gypsum lath-
Practically all plaster for walls anc
) ceilings is spread on gypsum lath OF
gypsum board-the so-called "plas.
ter board" The shortage of these
;; items is one of the chief bottlenecks
4 in the building industry.
None on Hand.
i, Supplies are so short it's not ever
, funny" one dealer said. 1--WE have
none on hand at ALL"
Shipments were said to be filter.
ling through very slowly" Summing
up this shortage, one dealer said
Were not getting per cent o.
our requirements. If we received two
carloads Monday morning, it would
be gone by Monday afternoon"
1 Everywhere the situation was sale
r to be about the same. Manufacturer
blame a labor shortage. 1--WE dom
!, ! expect the situation to improve
4 much before midsummer" said ont
= distributor.
: Cast iron soil pipe and fittings
= = This material is used for drainag'
from bathroom and sink fixtures
As with anything produced in &
foundry, it is critically short. Sum.
: marizing the supply situation, one
:, local dealer said: IF you're not {
1, regular customer of the foundry
they won't even take an order. I.
/ you're good customer, they'll takt
!, the order but are able to furnish vol
: with only a small part of what vol
want"
Radiators Are Scarce.
= Local supplers say they also ap
= portion available supplies to "regula,
customers according to how badl,