1014





RECORD   AND   GUIDE





December 11, 1915





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BUILDING MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES    |





REASONS WHY CONTRACTORS MAY LOOK FOR A
BOOST IN LUMBKR PRICES BEFORE FEBRUARY 1





Abnormal Demand for Concrete                                                             S

Piling—Brick   Held   For   $8                                                             I

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COMMENTING upon the Eastern
lumber situation, a leading authority
on the subject made the statement that
prices on all basic building commodities
in this department were probably at the
lowest levels that will prevail east of
the Mississippi for some time at least.

"Brick has gone to new high levels;
cement probably will be higher than has
been known in this vicinity, anyway, in
more than a decade; steel, stone, glass,
wire and anything that enters into build¬
ing construction are still far from their
top levels. Naturally builders turn
toward lumber, where city ordinances
permit its use, and it is the only avail¬
able commodity that is not reaching to
new price levels, although some advances
have been made.

- "This makes us think that sharp
changes will occur before February 1 in
many lines. For years lumber manu¬
facturers have been meeting ruinous
competition and have been shading their
lists to very immoderate levels. In the
very recent past they have been noting
a betterment in demand, and in those
lines where supplies are low advances
have occurred; but we begin to feel that
the time for a general marking up of
quotations is at hand.

"The removal of competition with
European woodenware manufacturers,
the heavy demand for packing cases of
carrying capacities suitable for export
in larger quantities than ever before,
the general revival in building through¬
out the country, heavy construction
works requiring vast quantities of shor¬
ing, and the revival of shipyard activ¬
ities on both seaboards speak for greater
production. Here comes the shortage
■of lumbering labor, difficulty of getting
added machinery capacity and cluttered
transportation lines, and the only way
to equalize the situation is to boost
prices. These are things dealers have
not been thinking about. It is not for
the best interests of manufacturers and
distributors to encourage this sort of
contemplation, but the fact is neverthe¬
less true."

A concrete products company doing
■business in Chicago and ten other points
-in the country where it has factories
-equally as well equipped as that on the
Newark Plank Road near the Passaic
River is doing a volume of business for
railroads and in concrete piling out of
all proportion to previous records. Rail¬
roads   are   finding   concrete   posts   and





poles cheaper than heavy rough timber,
in the light of heavier demand for this
wood in other channels, and the same
is true of piles. This concern has cov¬
ered itself with 10,000 barrels of cement.
Ordinarily, this quantity of cement would
last a year, but tlic Eastern manager said
that with the present demand for cement
products it would scarcely suffice for
the  business  now  developing.

This same concern was in the market
for additional cement-mi.xing machinery
this week and found the same stress in
that market. Speaking with the engineer
in charge of cement manufacturing ma¬
chinery it was learned that cement com¬
panies are doing a normal summer busi¬
ness in the month of December, a fact
fully verified by conditions in the two
zones contiguous to New York, where
in the month of November 556,000 more
barrels of Portland cement were shipped
this year than in the same month last
year and was the largest November
movement of this building commodity
in any November in the last eight years,
save one, when there was a shipment in
excess of that of November, 1915, of
barely 60,000 barrels.

The predicted upward movement in
the price of common brick came this
week when Hudson commons were held
in this market for $8 a thousand, whole¬
sale, and Raritan interests turned down
future contracts running into first quar¬
ter deliveries for $7.50 a thousand. Bot¬
tom prices for inferior Hudson brick
were $7.25.

There is scarcely a distributor in the
Eastern market who believes that top
levels have been reached in any com¬
modity. Just so long as inquiry and or¬
ders come in, the building material mar¬
ket is bound to be nervous on future
deliveries, and there is a feverish disposi¬
tion on the part of those who are able
to finance operations now to close for
requirements where it is possible to
do so.

Plan filings in the five boroughs for
the last week follow, compared with
those in the corresponding period at this
time last year. Last week 318 new build¬
ing plans were filed, at an estimated
value of $3,906,455.

Week ending
Dec. 11, 1914.       Dec. 10, 1915.
No.        Value.      No.      Value.

Manhattan.....       2       $333,500       7       $803,000

Bronx..........       5           7S,.550      16         502,850

Brooklyn.......     79         386,900    109         713,350

Queens.........     58         143,495      62         351,293

Richmond......      16           17,892      20          54,730

Totals........   160       ,$977,337    214    $2,423,425





PORTL.\IVD   CEMEiVT.

Heavy       November       Shipments—Summer

Business   in    December.

PORTLAND cement manufacturers are doing
a summer business in December. November
shipments were 350,000 barrels in excess ot
total shipments in tbe same month last year.
This total was all but 60.000 barrels ot the
greatest month's shipments in any November in
eight years, save one. And there is no sign ot
the   current   demand   being   temporary.

Reliable authorities stated to the Record and
Guide this week that the present price level
was being held very stiff. There is hardly any
shading. Everybody looks for another advance
before the second half of the month closes. But
even at the present prices and present condi¬
tions of production no manutacturer can make
cement tor less than $1.00 a barrel, mill a"nd
the present price calls tor only .$1.03. Winter
is coming on and the cost ot coal is consistently
advancing, labor is hard to hold and it is hard
to get cars. Mining ot limestone is also more
expensive in winter. Railroads insist upon
quick moving ot freight cars at the mills. "The
flve-cent margin is too meagre to last long,
especially under tbe existing demand.

By July there will not be an idle cement plant
In the country, according to present Indications,
and by tbe flrst ot 1917 tbe present cement ca¬
pacity will not be able to take care ot the
business that will be offered.    This is exclusive





of possible European export orders and is not
contingent upon the non-passage ot national
preparedness legislation at Washington. Rail¬
road business. South American export trade and
prospective construction work alone will be
sufficient to take care ot present national ce¬
ment  producing  capacity.

The production ot Portland cement in the
United States next year will turn the 100,000.000
barrel mark, in the opinion ot the best informed
men  in the trade.





STRUCTURAI,   STEEL.
Ten Point Advance in the Price of Struc¬
tural  Steel.

QUOTATIONS on structural steel are up ten
points from prices ruling last week. Cur¬
rent levels are 1.969c as against l.S69c last
week. The change is in direct conformity with
predictions made in this department of the
Record and Guide on November 13th, when it
was stated that two-cent steel might be ex¬
pected before the first of February. The present
level is only four-tenths ot a cent a pound
from the predicted level.

The trade is reticent about discussing future
developments in this material, but there are in¬
dications that point to possible higher levels
than two cents. Every fabricating shop is try¬
ing to cover itself on shapes, but the big steel
interests say it is a question ot getting mill
capacity  to  turn  out  the  orders  and  that  they





are   taking   business,   in   many   cases,   without
stipulation as to minimum delivery periods.

The concrete reinforcement department re¬
ports a tremendous movement for bars and
wire. In some cases reinforced concrete beams
are being used where possible as substitutes for
beams where loads are not likely to be exces¬
sive, and where immediate construction work
has  to  go ahead.





BIG   PLAN   FIHIVG   GAINS.

National   Construction  Exceeds   NoTcmber

1913.

M OT only does national construction tor No-
1^ vember, 1915, show a gain ot 53.9 per cent,
over that for November, 1914, but it also shows
a gain over November, 1913, falling only slight¬
ly below the plan filings throughout the country
in 1912. This is a continuation of the suc¬
cessive gains in building construction reported
since August which showed a gain ot 13.7 per
cent.; September, 30,5 per cent. ; October, 37.5
per cent. New York leads in national pros¬
pective construction, according to Bradstreets,
with about one-flfth ot the entire country's
expenditure.





COMMON   BRICK.

Hudsons   Being  Held  for   $8—Price   Jump

of ::5 Cents.

FOLLOWING the predictions made in the
* Record and Guide ot last week the price of
common brick has advanced in this market.
Where Hudsons were being held a week ago
for $7 there is some brick here waiting an $8
level, and there is some on the way down the
river that is not being quoted. The supply of
brick here continues low. The only thing that
is holding the market down, even to present
levels, is the tact that the river is still open
tor navigation.

Raritan interests had an opportunity to sell
considerable brick to a dealer the first of the
week for $7 a thousand covering immediate
shipments. The offer was turned down and on
Wednesday this company was quoting $7.;*5 to
$7.30  a  thousand.

Official   transactions   for  Hudson   River   brick
covering the week ending Thursday,  Dec. 9,  in
the wholesale market, with  comparison  for the
coresponding period last year,  follow :
1915.

Open  barges,  lett over,   Friday A.  M.,  Dec.
3—12.
Arrived.     Sold.      Covered.

Friday,    Dec.    S........ 15           13             0

Saturday,    Dec.   4......    3             1             0

Monday,   Dec.   6........  15           13             0

Tuesday,    Dec.    7.......     1             9             8

Wednesday,   Dec.   8.....    9             4             0

Thursday,   Dec.   9......  11             6             2

Total    ___........... 54           46           10

Reported   eh   route,   Friday,   Dec.   10—.
Condition ot   market, firm.    Prices;   Hudsons,
$7.23   and   $7.75;   covered   Hudsons,   no   quota¬
tions ;  Raritans, $7.25   (wholesale dock,  N. Y.) ;
(for   dealers'   prices   add   profit   and   cartage) ;

.Newark,   $7.30   to   $------   (yard).     Cargoes   left

over Friday A. M., Dec. l6—.    Covered sold, 1.
Left   over   covered   barges,   9.
1914.
Lett over  Friday  A.   M.,   Dec.  4—17.

Arrived.     Sold.      Covered.

Friday.   Dec.   4.........  10             5             0

Saturday,    Dec.    5......    1             2             0

Monday,   Dec.   7........  14            11             4

Tuesday,   Dec.   8..........              4             0

Wednesday,    Dec.   9___    1             0             0

Thursday,   Dec.  10......    7             8             2

Total    ............... 33           30             6

Condition ot market, weak. Prices: Hudson,
.$5.00   to   $5.25;   covered,   $6.00;   Newark,   yard,

$------ to  $6.75 ;   nominal.    Left over  Friday  A.

M.. Dec. 11—20. Covered, 6. Left over cov¬
ered barges, 6.

OFFICIAL   SUMMARY.

Left  over,   Jan.   1.   1913...................    64

Total No.  bargeloads arrived,  including left

over bargeloads, Jan. 1 to Dec. 9, 1915 1766
Total   No.   bargeloads   sold   Jan.   1   to   Dec.

0,   1915................................1756

Total No. bargeloads left over Dec. 10, 1915 10
Total No. bargeloads left over Jan. 1, 1914. 87
Total No. bargeloads arrived, including lett

over.   Jan.   1   to   Dee.   10.   1914...........1586

Total No. bargeloads sold Jan. 1 to Dec. 10,

1914...................................1566

Total No. bargeloads left over Dec. 11, 1914.    20





IRON.





Ornniiientnl and Kire Escape Manufactur¬
ers  AVorried.

DRACTICALLY every fire escape manutacturer
* in the metropolitan district is considerably
worried about his supply of iron tor the forth¬
coming season. With the factory inspection
work pushed to its height since the Diamond
factory fire in Brooklyn, business in this line
has been exceptionally active and the result is
that there is an aggressive movement under way
by manufacturers of fire escapes to cover them¬
selves on raw material over the first half ot
1916.

Ornamental iron interests are also finding it
difficult to get supplies and It is apparent by
the fact that they have been forced to advance
their figures on operations estimated, but which
have been held back tor some reason or another
since last year. Some iron equipment interests
have been forced to make bids subject to imme¬
diate   acceptance.

Radiator interests are operating upon a closer
semblance to profit-taking bases. Tbis has been
forced by the upward movement in the price
of pig iron. For the flrst time since 1907 the
price ot pig iron is approaching $20 levels for
No. 1 foundrv northern, the present prices being
$19 and $19,.30.

Bar iron interests advanced the price ot their
products this week $3 to $4 a ton, thus putting
the common bar iron on a range of 1.8Sc to
1,90c.





THE  RECORD  AND  GUIDE  QVOTATIONS   ARE   ACCEPTED   AS   OFFICIAI,   BY   BUILDING  MATERI.VL   EXCHANGES.