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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.)