972





RECORD AND GUIDE





November 23, 1912





BUILDING MATERIALS





WHAT    THE    COAL    INTERESTS

HAVE TO SAY TO BUILDING

MANAGERS.

How to Cut Down Fuel Bills by Judi¬
cious Purchasing and Using of Coal—
A Warning Circular from the Greater
New York Brick Co.—The Outlook in
the Hardware Market.

MUCH has been written and printed
in the daily newspapers during the
last few weeks On the coal situation,
which has been more or less alarming
to building managers who have been un¬
able to get coal in the quantities de¬
sired and at the prices heretofore paid.

With the purpose in view of ascertain¬
ing the truth of the matter, this depart¬
ment canvassed the leading coal supply
men in this city and vicinity, and the
discovery was made that most of the
agitation regarding commercial sizes of
coal has been principally in the news¬
paper columns. There will be no famine
in this market, and there will be a grad¬
ual improvement in the coal situation
from now on.

G. D. Curtis, of the Curtis-Blaisdell
Company, made this significant state¬
ment in his survey of the market:

"It is true that some dealers, mostly
small dealers, who by reason of their
lack of connection with the larger pro¬
ducing companies have been unable to
get a supply adequate to their wants,
have advanced the price for that reason,
but, nevertheless, in a broad way, it can
be said without fear of contradiction that
there has been no lack of coal to sup¬
ply the real daily wants of the consum¬
ers of Greater New York. This applies
to every size and every variety of coal,
except red ash, which, of course, is
regarded as a luxury rather than a ne¬
cessity.

F. E. Saward, editor of the Coal Trade
Journal, by way of explaining the recent
advances in price charges to industrial
and commercial consumers for coal,
adds:

"Such increase as there has been thus
far and probably will be later on is sim¬
ply a legitimate action from the ex¬
tremely low prices that have prevailed
on this class df business in the recent
past due to unlimited competition and
perhaps overshrewd buying on the part
of the building managers. With the
elimination, through failure, of one dis¬
turbing factor, the situation has been
considerably improved, and we surmise
that your friends among the building-
managers now have to pay a price more
in consonance with the value of the
fuel they purchase."

From these two statements the build¬
ing manager may have trouble in finding
consolation for the higher quotations he
is receiving on coal, and the fact that
railroads are not contracting on tonnage
rather than price, but they quote facts
which serve to show him that even
he is not immune from the higher
cost of living and of doing business.

The brick situation was featured by a
little more activity in buying during
the week, but the market is still peevish
because of the delay in steel deliveries
which is tying up an increasing number
of operations.

In the hardware department there is
a strong tendency to advance prices, not
because of any arbitrary action on the
part of the producers, but because the
demand is so great for next year's build¬
ing hardware and the cost of raw mate¬
rials has advanced so rapidly, that
"further appreciation in prices is ex¬
pected generally as a matter of course.

The fact that more freight cars were
reported to be available was encourag¬
ing to producers  of building materials.





Brick.

THE bargain sale In the brick market
during the last few days has re¬
sulted in the movement of approximately
35,000,000 brick, of which 24,600,000 went
out last week at prices nearer $6.75 than
the basic price obtaining during the re¬
cent past at $6.87V4.

Dealers responded promptly to the lower
quotations, flrst because they recognized
the fact that with the present restricted
supply up the river that this would be
their last chance to come into a weak
market. It is understood that one of the
conditions of sales was that dealers would
unload barges promptly so as to permit
them to make at least one return trip be¬
fore navigation closed. This makes the
total estimated quantity of common brick
now in stack in New York City between
100 to 110 million, a record quantity for
this  time of the year.

Ofticial Hudson River wholesale trans¬
actions for last week with comparisons
for the corresponding week in 1911 fol¬
low:

1912.
Left   Over.   November   9—36.

Arived.     Sold.

Monday   ..............   24               8

Tuesday    .............     6             23

Wednesday    ..........   13             13

Thursday    ............     8             16

Friday     ..............     9             15

Saturday  .............     8               7

Totals                                    68             82

Condition of markfet active. Current
prices Hudson River $6.75 to $7.25 with
$6.871/, basic, weak. Raritans $6.75 to
—Wholesale dock New York. For retail
prices allow for cartage and dealers
proflt.   Left  over, November 18—22.

1911.

Left  Over,  Xovember  13—42.

Arrived.     Sold.

Monday   ..............  19               8

Tuesday    .............  —               3

Wednesday    ..........     8               8

Thursday    ............     S             10

Friday   ...............     6               5

Saturday    .............     4             2

Total                                   45             36

Condition of market, weak. Price Hud¬
son River, $7. Raritan River, $6.75 to $7.
Left   over,  November   18—51.

In connection with the tightness of the
brick market during the recent past the
Greater New York Brick Company sent
out to its customers the following circu¬
lar letter:

"We deem it important to notify you
that from the present outlook, it will be
absolutely impossible for this company
to take care of the demand for brick dur¬
ing the winter months.

"An analysis of the situation shows
that there is engaged in the transporta¬
tion of brick between two hundred and
three hundred barges, or scows. Natur¬
ally, the barges discharging during the
month of December cannot be at the
brickyards loading, and it will be only
possible to get in the market for the
winter supply, in the neighborhood of 150
to 175 cargos, which is approximately
fifty millions of brick. Of the 150 or 175
cargoes, which will be in the market, 75
to my knowledge have been ordered by
three out of the flfty building materials
concerns whdch are regularly buying brick
from  this  comnany.

Barges covered in 1908   ...........106

1909   ...........   85

1910   ...........118

1911   ...........105

"An investigation of the amount of brick
required from my knowledge of contracts,
which have been reported to me by the
various dealers, shows that between the
first of December and the first of April,
the builders of Greater New Tork, ot
Newark and vicinity, and of the Jersey
territory adjacent to Manhattan, will con¬
sume approximately between'three hun¬
dred and four hundred millions of brick.

"I also find upon taking stock, that
there is piled up around the city from
seventy-five to one hundred millions of
brick less than in former years. Where,
then, does the building material man ex¬
pect to get his supply from? We have
brick in market to-day. We stand ready
to supply all needs. We will not be re¬
sponsible for the shortage which Is ap¬
parent during the winter months. Deal¬
ers must stack up .brick, at least In rea¬
sonable amounts. If they expect to take
care of their winter needs, as we have not
the barges and we cannot obtain them to
take care of this demand when the river
is closed."

GREATER NEW TORK BRICK CO.,

John B. Rose, President.





Coal.

BEGINNING next Monday and con¬
tinuing, it is believed, uninterrupted
during the remainder of the winter, coal
will be available for consumers in this
market i n normal quantities. Inquiries
received by this office during the last few
weeks from building managers as to the
actual conditions of demand and supply
inspired an investigation of the local
situation. It was shown not only that
there was no actual shortage of coal at
the mines, but that the stringency was
due to the inability of coal distributors
here to supply this fuel in the inflated
volume that consumers had specifled it in
the hope of laying in reserve stocks, but
that there was a way to increase the effi¬
ciency of coal commercially burned. The
following statements from officials of some
of the leading coal distributing compa¬
nies supplying this market give a frank
and instructive resume of the past, pres¬
ent and future market:

Curtis-Blaisdell Co.—"We have not
shared in the general anxiety relative to
the coal situation  of this winter.

"While there has been a scarcity of coal
during the past two or three months,
owing to certain causes which are easily
understood, nevertheless there has been
no real lack of coal for the necessary
daily wants of the coal consumers of this
city. In other w^ords, no one has suffered
for lack of coal and no one has been un¬
able to get coal.

"A good many people have not been
able to get all the coal they wished to
get. In other words, they have not been
able to fill up their cellars and lay in a
supply for future use, and this, in our
judgment, is the basis and the only basis
for the many articles that have appeared
in the papers from time to time.

"It is true that some dealers, mostly
small dealers, by reason of their lack of
connection w^ith the larger producing
companies have been unable to get a sup¬
ply adequate to their wants and have ad¬
vanced the price for that reason, but,
nevertheless, in a broad way. it can be
said without fear of contradiction, that
there has been no lack of coal to supply
tbe real daily wants to the consumers of
Greater New York. This applies to every
size and every variety of coal, except red
ash which, of course, is regarded as a
luxury rather  a necessity.

"We believe that the scarcity that has
recently existed will be relieved very
sliortly and that there -will he sufficient
coal coming to New York such as to en¬
able the dealers to fill all orders as re¬
ceived. So that, we personally, do not
look for any advance in prices; and the
necessity for economic methods in using
coal will not be materially greater this
winter than any other winter, except, of
course, that coal costs a little more and
for the reason there is more occasion
for using it  economically.

"You are aware, of course, that build¬
ing managers as a rule do not use the
most economical coal. By reason of the
fact that the engineer of many buildings
is a sort of an "all-around man," a va¬
riety of coal is used such as to require
the least attention in firing. Instead of
using No. 1 buckwheat, or No. 2 buck¬
wheat, as would be possible if the proper
facilities were provided, more often pea
coal is used or even egg coal for the rea¬
sons just given, mainly, so that the en¬
gineer or superintendent, or -whoever
looks after the fires, will not be com¬
pelled to watch his fires so closely as to
prevent him from going about the build¬
ing and doing all kinds of other work.

"There is a very large amount of egg
coal used in many buildings in New York
City, costing $6.50 to $6.75 per ton, which
could be easily replaced by pea coal, or
buckwheat at a very large aggregate of
saving, provided the proper facilities for
burning such coals were put to use, and
provided the managers did not regard the
services of the engineer about the build¬
ing as of more consequence than the sav¬
ing in the price of coal.

"We do not look for any strenuous con¬
ditions at all, so far as New York City is
concerned, after the next two weeks. No
doubt there will be a scarcity of coal in
the outlying districts during the entire
winter for reasons which could easily be
given, but New York City, we believe,
will have plenty of coal."—G. D. Curtis,
Vice-President   and   General   Manager.

The Coal Trade Journal: "We believe
coal of the pea and buckwheat sizes is
very generally used for the heating of
large buildings In this city; we do not
think the managers have occasion to com¬
plain of the price, for the price of coal
of this sort has not advanced to any¬
thing like the extent that price of domes¬
tic coal has advanced, the scarcity being
almost altogether on the domestic sizes.

"With the mines running at full-time
activity as they undoubtedly will through¬
out the winter,  so far as the willingness

(Conetnued   on  iiage   984.)