296





RECORD  AND  GUIDE





August 15, 1914





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I BUILDING    MATERIALS    AND    SUPPLIES I





PLAN FILINGS AND CONSTRUCTION WORK   SHOW   NO EFFECT
FROM   THE   WAR—VALUES   COMPARABLE   WITH   LAST WEEK'S.





Prices  are  Stationary   with   Inquiry
Slightly More Keen—Brick Steady.





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SO far as it has been possible to dis¬
cover neither building construction
nor the building material market has
been affected by the European disturb¬
ance. If anything there has been a
freer buying movement for basic mate¬
rials on the part of dealers and dis¬
tributors who supply speculative build¬
ers. Structural steel is the only com-
moditv that has been advanced in price,
but the upward change has been nom¬
inal and is still far from the 1.46 level
that prevailed for tidewater shapes at
this time last year. Linseed oil is still
at the 60-cent level, ruling during the
week before the European nations be¬
came embroiled and while flaxseed is
stiffening at Duluth. it is due to short¬
age of supply and not in any degree be¬
cause of war abroad.

As for building construction through¬
out the country Dodge Reports^ show
absolutely no abandonment of impor¬
tant building operations as a result of
the war. The volume of new building
operations being projected is normal for
August east of the Mississippi and
slightly above normal for the iniddle
part of the country. There also has
been no change in the situation on the
Pacific coast. In New York and vicin¬
ity there are enough buildings under pro¬
jection, according to the same authority,
to make for a perfectly normal autumn
in building.

Financially the building situation is
far less gloomy than are the general
stock, bond, textile and general imports
markets. Building money for new pro¬
jects is hard to get, but there were in¬
stances reported this week of engage¬
ments made for factory extension in the
clothing, foodstuffs and cold storage
departments. Building financing is not
dependent so much at present on the
movement for speculative operations as
it is for specialty construction in com¬
modity fields where the war abroad is
likely to have a quick, direct and posi¬
tively favorable effect just as soon as
shipping on the high seas has been
made secure enough to permit some
flexibility in insurance rates.

The first shocks of the war are pass¬





ing. Finance has been reassured by the
treasury department that all its emer¬
gency resources are still far from being
exhausted. The crops are being moved
and there is being worked out a way to
move securities through the stock ex¬
change and clearing house committees
that will sooner or later pave the way
for a reopening of the Stock Exchange.
Domestic trade is steady in practically
all branches, except in those instances
where certain food staples are being
manipulated apparently for the purpose
of storing up larger supplies of food so
that they can be shipped to the belliger¬
ent armies of Europe at premiums.

New York and vicinitv is bound to
become the world's storehouse for all
sorts of supplies, according to an au¬
thority in the realty market this week,
vet aside from a few terminals this city
finds itself practically poverty stricken
in its available warehouses. This means
that if the war is protracted there will
be a big building movement in ware¬
houses, stock rooms and office accom¬
modations to handle this mountainous
supply of stores. Such a movement, if
it develops, will quickly decide the des¬
tiny of neighborhoods in dock sections
and tracts at various points along the
harbor front as far as definite classifica¬
tion of its occupancy is concerned, thus
making values more staple. The result
should be a stimulation of business
building expansion, a type of financing
that money lenders look upon with most
favor in times like these. Jobbing in¬
terests say that dealers are comins; into
the market more freely for supplies, but
that while prices are not being advanced
credits are not so liberal as they were
several weeks ago.

Building plans filed this week show a
o^ain in value over those of last week.
Details by boroughs follow:

W-^ek ending

/-----August 7—^    ,.—August 13—>,

No.        Value.        No.        Value.

Manhattan    ...     12    .$2,001,750        11       ,f;027 OOO

Bronx    ........     Ifi         4f)fi,325         0         .3.37225

Brooklyn    .....     fi4         5.3P.4S5       fi4      1 459'.250

Queens     ......   10f>         317.725        77         200 fiRS

Richmond    ....    22           43,365        13           20,8.30

Total    ......  214    .$3,370,650     174   .$3,004,993





LUBE.   PLASTKR.   GYPSUM.

Current   Movement   of   Materials   Normal,

Inquiry W'itliout Change.

IT was still too early to gauge the effect of
the European war upon the lime, plaster
and gypsum interests this week, but there was
no indication reported where there had been
any countermanding of orders or postponement
of deliveries. Here and there are some build¬
ers, the plaster people say, who are inclined
to put off new operations until the autumn gets
fairly well under way. but for the most part,
builders, who have their operations financed,
are going ahead as though nothing unusual oc¬
curred.

"That statement of Walter Stabler's appear¬
ing in the Record and Guide last week," said a
prominent plaster man this week, "did much to
make contractors and others realize that there is
a pretty sourceful ITncle Samuel who stands be¬
hind his people in time of stress and the
emergency methods so far put into operation
are only a beginning of what can be done to
stem  the tide of oanlc.

"I believe now that tbe worst that we fear
will not be felt, that building construction will
proceed, because we have already taken up a
large amount of the slack in our local supply
of available moaern buildings and the time is
ripe for tearing out some of that large unsala¬
ble space in tbe part of the town between
Chambers street and 23d and improving it.
We certainly have got to be ready for pros¬
perity when it comes and I believe it will be¬
gin to come just as soon as England makes
the  seas, safe   for  shipping."





departments there are very slim prospects at
present, at least, of anything occurring to mar
fhe existing schedules. Even though there
should be a temporary shrinkage in building
construction, there is a tremendous demand
for these concrete ineredients to keep the mills
and quarries and mines operating practically
un to current capacitv for a very long time.
There has been no change in prices and de¬
mand has not flu-^tuated either up or down
since the first of the month.





SAND,  GRAVEL  AND  STONE.

Sub^vay     and      Rulldinc:     Work      Already

FInnneed  Keeps Market Even.

CAND, gravel and crushed stone interests
^ are standing pat both on prices and sup¬
ply. There has been no change in produc¬
tion   and.   according   to   leaders   in   these   two





COAL.

Improvement In Fall Demand  Expected  to

Keep   rolllerw   Busy.

A DVICES from Philadelphia this week seemed
'^ to indicate that the sharp falling off In
demand for coal In the eastern market as a
result of the tying up nf shippine. mlerht re-
ouire the closing of collieries temporarily in
order that the supplv may not exceed the de¬
mand to the extent that sacrifice prices will be
necessary. Owing to the cutting of profits
from one cause or another in recent years, the
opprators feel that they would rather close the
colleries. if necessary, in order to keep prices
where thev are. They say that to supply coal
at any figure lower than those now ruling under
wholesale contracts would be practically ruin¬
ous.

-Au^'ust, however, always is a dull coal month.
The fact that September generally brings about
ereat activitv In the coal department is looked
unon as being a possible way out of the diffi-
nultv, If the users of coal in New York can
p-et into the market for supplies a little earlier
than usual and thus distribute some of the Sep¬
tember business through August, the mine in¬
terests say they may not have to close the
'"ollerles. Tidewater stocks are said to be light
here and there is said to be considerable coal
stored in the interior. Some managers of build¬
ings are arranging for means to store coal here
In case of contingencies arising later on. Bitu¬
minous coal is in fair demand. There has been
no change fn prices.





GLASS.

Demand   for   Single   Lif^lit—Di»countH

Unchanged.

\W INDOW glass in this market is holding
^ steadily. There is a little more liberal
stocking on the part of jobbers which Is giving
the mill men greater activity, but the supply
already was large and in only a few cases has
the mill capacity been changed. Dealers, how¬
ever, are not liberal buyers. Apparently they
are waiting to see what effect the foreign war
will have upon building construction in this
country. What orders are coming in are being
filled from stock or else the dealer is buying
from hand to mouth. Jobbers anticipate higher
lists and lower discounts if the mills are
obliged to close. At present there is no change
in  discounts or prices.





POHTLVXD   CEMENT.

fMitput   Cut   10  I'er   Cent,  in  First  Half  of

Year.

CTATISTICS covering the first half of 1914
■^ in the Portland cement industry discloses
the fact that there was a slump of 10 per cent.
In mill output during that period compared
with the first half of 1013. but that shipments
for the same period fell only 2 per cent, below
tbe first and second quarters of last year. The
reduction in output, therefore, was reflected in
a decrease of surplus in producers' hands, indi¬
cating that as soon as there is any strengthen¬
ing worthy of the name in demand, prices will
not only regain their normal status of 90 cents
mills,  but  may  even  go beyond that  level.

On June 30 the total output for the first six
months had reached 35.000.000 barrels as against
.30.ono,tMX> barrels at even date last year. The
total output in 1013 was 92.097.131 barrels.
Stocks on hand at mills on June 30 totaled 10,-
(k:h),oii() barrels as against 11.220.328 at the same
time last year. This represents a decrease for
the first half of 1014 of about 11 per cent.

The chief interest these figures have for deal¬
ers in the metropolitan district is the Intimation
they give that the cement industry has at last
emerged from its fearful state of being over¬
produced and that the demoralization that has
featured this department for the last six years
is happily being  obliterated.

New York mills during the first half of the
year made a relatively better showing than did
those in the Lehigh district.

COMMOX     BRICK.

Registered     Unloadin;:;     Less     Than    Last

Week's    Fisiures—Prices    Weaker.

T TXLOADING of common brick this week was
^ in excess of that of last week. Prices,
however, were inclined to be weaker. Four
plants up the river, notably the Aldrich, Den-
nings Point, Bruso and one at the Kingston
district,   have  closed   for  the  season.

On Sunday the Catherine F., a brick barge,
owned by the Fowler interests at Haverstraw
was in collision off the Battery and lost 400,000
brick, consigned to John P. Kane Company, in
charge of a tow of the Cornell Steam Towing
Company.

Official transactions for Hudson River brick
covering the week ending Thursday. Aug. 13,
in the wholesale market, with comparison for
the corresponding period last year, and a com¬
parative statement of Hudson brick unloaded
from barges for consumption here,  follow :

1914.
Left   over,   August   7—^18.

Arrived.        Sold.

Friday.   Aug.  7   .................  .t                 6

Saturday.  Aug.  8   ...............  5                 6

Monday,   Aug.   10   ...............21                12

Tuesday.  Aug.  11   ...............   1                 5

Wednesday.  Aug.   12   ............  7                 7

Thursday, Aug. 13   ..............9                 9

Total   .......................   48               45

Note.—1   Barge sunk.    Loss.  400,000 brick.

Reported  en  route,  Friday,   Aug.  14—8.

Condition of market, weak. Prices : Hud¬
son, $5.25 and .$5.75 ; Raritans, $5.50 to $5.75
(wholesale dock, N. Y.) ; (for dealers' prices
add profit and cartage) ; Newark. .$6.75 to
.$7.25 (yard). Nominal. Left over Friday a.
m., Aug.  14.  21.

HUDSON   RIVER    BRICK   UNLOADED.
(Current and last week compared.)





July 31......1.403.500

Aug.    1......    fiOS..500

Aug.    3......1..3.^5.O00

Aug.    4......1,7.33,000

Aug.    5......1,705.000

Aug.    6......1,591,.500





Total.





.8,.390,5OO





Aug.    7......1.454.500

Aug.    8......    642,000

Aug. 10......1,424,500

Aug. n......1,451,000

Aug. 12......1,384.000

Aug. 13......1,496,500

Total......7.852,.500





1913.
Left  over,  Friday  A.





M..





Aug.  8—66.
Arrived.        Sold





Friday   Aug.   8   .................  8                 fi

Saturday,   Aug.  9   ...............  8                 6

Monday,   Aug.   11    ...............12                 6

Tuesday,   Aug.   12   ..............3               1.5

Wednesday,   Aug.   13   ............  6                 9

Thursday, Aug.  14   ..............   6                 5

Total   .......................   43               49

Condition of market, dull. Prices: Hudsons,
$6 to .$6..50; selects weak at $6.75; Newark,
y^rd, .S7.75. Left over Friday a. m., Aug 15
1913—60.

OFFICIAL   SUMMARY.

Left over  Jan.   1.   1914   ...................    §7

Total  No.  bargeloads arrived,  including left

over bargeloads, Jan. 1 to Aug. 13, 1914 993
Total   No.   bargeloads   sold   Jan.   1   to   Aug.

13,   1914   ............................._ 972

TotTl    No.    bargeloads   left   over   Aug     14

lf*14   ...................................     2i

Total No. bargeloads left over Jan. 1, 1913. 113
Total  No.  bargeloads arrived,   including left

over .Tan.  1   to Aug.  14, 1913   ...........   119*;'

Total No. bargeloads sold Jan, 1 to Aug. 14,

Ii>13   ...................-...............   11.^7

Total No. bargeloads left over Aug. 15, 1913   60