56       11





RECORD   AND   GUIDE





July 14, 1917





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CURRENT    BUILDING    OPERATIONS,     I
MATERIALS    AND    SUPPLIES





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AMONG the various conditions that
have influenced the building situa¬
tion during the past week there is the
announcement of the recession in the
price of Hudson River common brick
from $9.50 to $8.50 a thousand. This
reductijDn followed numerous predictions
of substantial concessions in the price
of this commodity and there is reason
to assume that building activity will be
much stimulated as a result of the cut.
There has been a considerable amount
of new structural work recently notice^
able and with more favorable weather
conditions than have been experienced
this week there is but little doubt that
the volume of commitments would have
reached a considerably larger figure.
The price fixing for Governmera steel
is also a factor and while the general
buyer will not receive immediate benefit,
still steps have been taken toward fix¬
ing the  price  he will  pay.     One  of the





cided resumption along this line if ma¬
terial prices could be brought back to a
reasonable  level.

With the exception of common brick,
structural material prices have remained
practically stationary for the last week.
The scattering fluctuations were not to
an'extent that would have any substan¬
tial effect upon building conditions.
While material prices are exhorbitant
the excess cost of construction has not
seemed to have influenced the type of
construction that has been prevalent for
the last few months. Almost without
exception the structures placed under
contract were absolute economic neces¬
sities and the matter of extra cost was
not comparable to the urgency of the
demand for working space. Structural
steel continues to climb to higher levels
and for the private builder the commod¬
ity is almost impossible to obtain. In
view of this condition there is a deter¬
mined movement toward the elimina¬
tion  of  steel  for  structural  purposes  in





most   important    features    of    the   week      f^^^j. ^^ ^^.-^^y. ^^.^^ timber or reinforced





was the announcement to the efifect that
a general contract for the construction
of the Yale Dormitories, at New Haven,
Conn., a three million dollar building
operation, has been awarded on a per¬
centage basis to Marc Eidlitz &: Sons,
30 East 42d street, Manhattan. A re-
remarkable condition in connection with
the present building situation is the vast
amount of institutional and educational
building that is in process of construc¬
tion or soon to be started. Religious,
educational and philanthropic institu¬
tions and societies do not seem to
have experienced many difficulties in
obtaining the necessary funds for
the     prosecution      of      their      contem-





concrete, and in this way that impor¬
tant material will be conserved for Gov¬
ernmental usage and the building trades
will benefit by increased activity through
the commencement of operations that
otherwise might have been held up pend¬
ing the delivery of fabricated steel.

The present outlook in the building
and construction field is for a contin¬
uation of progress in structural activity
and unless something unforseen occurs
there is no apparent reason why the
builders of this country and the numer¬
ous lines of manufacturing endeavor
that are dependent upon them, should
not begin to enjoy better times.

Within   a   very   short   time   the   com-





plated   improvements   and   the   arnount      merce and industry of the United States





of money that is being expended for
structural work of this character is sec¬
ond only in importance to the vast sums
available for the expansion and enlarge¬
ment of the industrial and commercial
facilities of the country.

The latter branches of building activity
are steadily gaining in volume and there
are reports coming in daily from practi¬
cally all parts of the United States in¬
dicating that many new projects for
manufacturing     and     commercial     pur-





will begin to feel the effects of the
tightening in the labor situation due to
the selective draft for the National
Army. Shortage of labor is naturally
bound to become more intense than
it has been in the past and will undoubt¬
edly be one of the controlling factors
in the building situation during the com¬
ing season. With many thousands of
able-bodied men under arms or at work
in the manufacture of munitions or other
military activities and with an insistence





poses   are   being    planned   ^and   placed      fro^i  every  quarter that every available

J----         *■           ^^^^ ^£  tiij^i^ig i^xif^ be  cultivated, it  is

certainly the part of all concerned in
construction as an industry to make use
of every possible labor-saving device
or appliance that will release human
labor for the military requirements.
Tools and machines are cheaper than
men and in many instances they can be
used to superior advantage.





under contract for immediate construe
tion. High class residential construc¬
tion is fairly active and there is an_ in¬
creasing number of moderate priced
dwellings projected. Speculative build¬
ing, while still far behind other types of
construction in volume and cost, is nev¬
ertheless indicating signs of renewed
activity  and  there  will  surely  be  a  de-





Common Brick.—Dealers in masons'
materials and building contractors who
have recently been predicting that the
wholesale price of common brick was to
experience considerable of a slump feel
this week that their attitude was alto¬
gether justified by the developments of
the current week. During the period
common brick has been selling at $8.50
to $9.00 a thousand to dealers in cargo
lots alongside dock. Nearly a year has
elapsed since the time common brick
was sold at these prices. One of the in¬
fluencing factors responsible for the drop
in price this week was the fact that the
manufacturers had a large amount of
brick on hand that they sent into thc
market with orders to sell, at a sacrifice
if necessary so that ready money could
be obtained for the requirements of this
season's producing activities. The com¬
mon brick market might not have been
so adversely affected by the concessions
if there had been more favorable wea¬
ther. The recent rains and generally
inclement conditions resulted in almost
a complete cessation of outside construc¬





tion and the buying of brick slowed
down to a considerable extent as a
natural consequence. There are no in¬
dications that the market during the past
week was affected by any circumstances
other than the situation caused by a
supply that was greater than the de¬
mand coupled with the bad weather.
The prediction has been made that the
outlook is for a more settled condition,
with an increase in building activity
and prices stabilized. The demand has
recently been quite light and the sales
comparatively few. The present time is
most propitious for the speculative build¬
er who contemplates the construction
of non-steel frame structures, to take
advantage of the existing market condi¬
tions and arrange for future require¬
ments in the material line as there is
no definite knowledge as to the length
of time the present low price level will
The   manufacturing   situation





for the operation of their plants. The
coal situation, has not as yet affected
the production of brick to any extent
and it is thought that it will be some
time before the stringency exists.

SUMMARY—Transactions in the North River
hrick market for the week ending Friday, July
lo, 1917. Condition of market: Demand fair;
prices lower. Quotations: Hudson Rivers,
$8.50 to $9.00 to dealers in cargo lots alongside
dock. Number of cargoes arrived, 30; sales,
28. Distribution: Manhattan, S; Brooklyn,
11;  New Jersey points,  S;  Bronx,  1.

Structural Steel.—Practically all pri¬
vate buying of fabricated steel is sub¬
servient to the urgent demands of Gov¬
ernmental requirements and with the
large amount of business on hand at
the mills from this source there is but
little prospect that private consumers
would receive but scant attention if their
orders were placed. During the last
week there were announcements that
the Government was in the market for
a considerable tonnage in addition to
that already contracted for and there is
a strong feeling throughout the building
trade that Federal requirements will con¬
tinue to grow and that steel for building
and commercial uses will become more
difficult to obtain. The producing mills
are all working to full capacity but the
fabricating shops are limited in their
output on account of the existing condi¬
tions. According to statistics compiled
by the secretary of the Bridge Builders'
and Structural Society it is shown that
during May fifty-six and one-half per¬
cent, of the entire capacity of the bridge
and structural shops of the country was
contracted for. The recent monthly
statement of the United States Steel Cor¬
poration showed unfilled orders on its
books as of June 30 of 11,383,287 tons,
which is a decrease of 503,304 tons from
those reported May 31. The June re¬
port is the smallest since last November
when the total on November 30, 1916,
was 11,058,542 tons. There has been no
material change in the price of steel
shapes. Mill shipments are quoted at
4.669c._ to 5.169c., New York, for deliv¬
eries  in  two  to  four  months.

Lumber.—The market for lumber is
steady at the high price levels that have
now maintained for a long time with a
local demand that is making the whole¬
salers and dealers hustle to keep abreast
of. There is a decided scarcity in cer¬
tain grades and stocks in the yards are
generally lower than can be viewed with
comfort. There is an evident tendency
toward further increases in lumber
prices on account of the firm demand
and the difficulties that manufacturers
are laboring under. While there has
been some improvement in the trans¬
portation situation the conditions are
still far from normal. Labor shortage
and high wages are large factors in in¬
fluencing higher production costs. From
these conditions there is but little pros¬
pect of relief in sight and if there is a
further demand made upon the producers
and dealers in lumber and timber for
materials for use as an alternative for
steel construction there is every pos¬
sibility that lumber prices will still be
further  advanced.

Wire Nails.—Market conditions are
becoming more uncertain every day, with
the producing mills unable to consider
new orders and from two to three
months behind on present orders. The
prices of all wire commodities are firm
at the levels quoted last week and there
is every possibility that further advances
will be announced before long. The
large amount of Government business
recently placed in the hands of the pro¬
ducers will undoubtedly make it harder
for the private consumers to obtain de-





maintam

in the Hudson River plants is practically    liveries  of their  requirements  and  from

unchanged  except for  the fact that pro-    the present  outlook  there will probably

ducers   are   experiencing   greater   diffi-     be   further   large   orders   from   Federal

culties  in  obtaining  the necessary  labor    sources in the near future.

RECORD   AND   GUIDE   QUOTATIONS   ARE   ACCEPTED    AS   OFFICIAL   BY   IIUILDING   MATERIAL   EXCHANGES.