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January 25, 1913 RECORD AND GUIDE 187 BUILDING MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES Coal in Better Condition—Completed Lumber Inventories Show Stocks Lower at Mill Than Was Expected—Stronger Tone in Building Metals—Managers Find General Stiffening Tendency in Building Supply Market—Rubter Prices Advance—Steel Sheets in Higher Trend—The Annual Gnybco Meeting. THl'^ building material market this week was featured by an attempt In boost the prices of black and galvan¬ ized sheets, making the quotation $2.90 per 100 pounds for No. 29 black and $4.15 for 100 pounds for the same size galvanized sheets. New business in structural steel has Ijeen larger, proportionately, than for several other kinds of steel products. Not only have building operations been very heavy all over the country for a number of months, but there has been such a demand for this kind of steel that many orders are coming out now that had been withheld because of the inability to get deliveries w-ithin a reasonable time -Another factor has been the mild w-inter in nearly the wliole country which has enabled construction work to proceed, and some orders have been placed at this time that otherwise would have been credited to spring or summer business. Very little new business has been booked in wire and wire products, but an improvement is looked for w-ithin a few weeks. In the coal market, heavier orders are being placed by suburban factories and mills for bituminous grades during the present shortage in anthracite. This is having an effect of keeping anthracite prices steady, and it is believed that the stress in this department is rapidly be¬ ing overcome. Lumber mills have been taking inven¬ tories and have found that their mill stocks are much lower than they had figured, owing to the mild winter weather conditions, w-hich have per¬ mitted such a large volume of construc¬ tion work to proceed. In the common brick department the mild weather has permitted navigation to continue up the Hudson River later than at any period since 1810, and it is very evident that, were it not for the shortage of steel in the market at the present time, heavy brick consumption w-ould have seriously depleted available stocks lon,g before this. The prices of general building sup¬ plies show-ed a decided upw-ard tendency this week. In the paint market, how¬ ever, there was a slight difference be¬ cause of the fact that linseed oil and lead are running at a low price level. At the annual meeting of the Greater New York Brick Company, held this week, the present officers were re¬ elected as follows: John B. Rose, Presi¬ dent; A. E. Aldridge, Vice-President; Robert Main, Treasurer, and Frank De Noyelles, Secretary. I. J. Rose w-as elected to membership on the Board of Directors to succeed his father, the late Alonzo Rose and Edw-in Brockw-ay was elected a member of the executive com¬ mittee to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the late director. Reports showed that there was a reserve shed supply of North River brick amounting to 304.000.000 on Jan. 1, as against 289,- 000,000 at a corresponding period in 1912. LIGHT DEM.VXD FOR BRICK. Fronts in a Stronger Tone as Mild AVeather Conditions Continue. P RICK is in light demand in this mar- O kel. In New Jersey the call for common brick is much stronger in pro¬ portion to the market than it is here. Front brick is reporting an unusual win¬ ter movement, but prices have remained fairly steady. The steel situation is still having- a retarding effect upon sales at the wholi-sale marlcet as shown by the fact that only 24 barge loads were sold last week. Official transactions tor North River brick transactions for last week with records covering- corresponding week last year follow: 1913. left Over, Jan. 11—71. -\rrived. Sold. Covered. ^londaj- ...........12 4 i Tue.sday .......... 0 2 0 Wi-dnesday .......16 12 3 Thursday ........ 0 1 2 Friday ............ o 5 0 Saturday ......... o 0 0 Total .......... 2S 24 6 Condition of market, dull. Prices, Hud¬ sons (basic), $6.75 to $7; covered, $7.25. Raritans. $6.75 (wholesale dock N. T.). For dealer's price add profit and cartage. Left over, Jan. IS—75. (Open) Total re¬ serve, 54. Number covered barges sold, 7 1912. Left Over, Jan. 13—32. .■Arrived. Sold. Covered. ilonday .......... 0 2 1 Tuesday .......... 0 0 1 \\'ednesday ....... 0 0 2 Thursday ......... 0 0 0 Friday ........... 0 0 0 Saturday ......... o 0 o Total ........... 0 2 4 Condition of markel, dull. Prices, $6.75 to $7. Raritans, no quotation. Total covered, 64 barges. Reserve Jan. 20—30. WIRE ROPE I.\ HEAVY DEMAND. tluotntians witli Discounts on I-;ievntor Specifications. ■yV/IRE rope prices are running without VV change in spite of the recent advance announced by the American .Steel & Wire Oompanj-. The demand is exceptional for elevator requirements owing lo more vig¬ orous inspection ot elevators in this city and vicinity by casualty and other com¬ panies. A discount to the larger trade is 42V^ and 5 per cent, from list, for galvan¬ ized and 50 and 5 per cent, for bright. Prices follow: ,-----------------Price per tt.-------------^ Diameter. Cast. Crucible Plow- Steel. Steel. Steel. ■H .........10 .11 .13 % .........07 .09 .10 'i .........06 .07 .07 BUILDIXC; SUPPLIES FIRItt. Managers Find Oeneral Stiffening Ten¬ dency in Most Lines. p RICES of general building supplies ■I while steady on quotation are never¬ theless showing a stiffening tendency, es¬ pecially in engine room requirements Bismuth is quoted in this markel by job¬ bers for .small lots at $2.25 per pound; brass sheets, IS^ic; brass rods, lSi4c.! and half guaranteed solder, 32e.; zinc sheets, lO^c; manganese bronze rods, IS^ic.; manganese bronze in crucible form, 16?4c. The following quotations are current on iron pipe sises of brass tubes: ''4-in.......................$0.23 ^i lo 3-in....................22 3U-in.......................23 4 in.........................23 Linseed oil is quoted by jobbers al 47 and 48 cents for American seed city, raw: 48 and 49 cents for city, boiled, -\merican seed, and 70 cents for raw Calcutta seed. In the paint market there has been no change in prices, although the tendency as shown by the foregoing linseed oil prices is still upward. The year has started out well, wilh paint requirements as shown bv orders flled by the general trade; and" in view of the fact that this is the eve of the busy season in the paint and varnish business, it is expected that new price levels wherever decided upon will be fully maintained. Quotations for paint ingre¬ dients now current in New Tork seem to indicate that prices will not run, however to excessive limits. These quotations fol¬ low: -n'hite lead in oil in 100, 230 and 500-Ib. kegs is 7»4 to 71/20. per lb.; In 25. and oO-lb. kegs. 7?4e. per lb. Red lead and litharge in ino-lb. kegs is 7 to 7i^c per lb. Colors in oil are quoted at the follow¬ ing prices per lb.: Lamp black, 12 to 14c ■ Chinese blue. 36 to 46c.; Prussian blue, 32 to 36c.; Van Dyke brown, 11 to 14c.- Chrome green, 12 to 16c.; Raw and Burnt Umber, 11 to 14c. RUBBER PRICES ADV.VXCE. I'liis -May .Vftecf Prices of Fire and Other Hose and Some Building Supplies. p LEBER showed a higher price this i^• week as the result ot recent general stiffening in this department. The fact that trading was not especially active leads lo the impression that the supply is somewhat curtailed. It was reported on Wednesday that the advance in price was made to induce manufacturers of hose, mats, packing and automobile tires to come into the markel instead of hold¬ ing off for a drop, which for some reason, had been predicted as a result of alleged surfeiting of supplies at mills and gen¬ eral withdrawal of orders. The advance is expected to be permanent. Some reason for this rumor may be found in the fact that statistics of rubber importation during 1912, in the opinion of one prominent dealer, showed greater ac¬ tivity on the part of the manufacturers of rubber products than ever before, so far as the buying of the crude material was concerned. Whether the several thousand extra tons taken in the course of 1012 were put to work, or whether they are what might be called an "invisible supply" and, therefore, detrimental lo the present activity of the market is the source of no little speculation. COAL IX BETTER CO-XDITIOX. .More Bituminous Being Used in District Tlian Heretofore. P E. S-AWARD, editor of the Coal Trade A • Journal, gives consumers an encour¬ aging survey of the market. The fact that bituminous coal has made up in part for the scarcity in anthracite coal has led suburban manufacturers and some railroads to use soft coal where boiler conditions permit, and this practice, in consequence, has created a less divided demand here in the New Tork market. In his review Mr. Saward says: "While the year 1911 disappointed those who expected it to keep up the record- breaking habit of the American coal trade and fell slightly behind the figures tor 1910, the year 1912 saw so great a tonnage produced that it not only estab¬ lishes definitely a new- trade record for it¬ self, but, as one might say, has something to spare for the deficiencies of 1911. AH this has been achieved despite a serious interruption of the operation of the an¬ thracite mines, and more or less unsettle¬ ment of bituminous matters in the spring, pending settlements in one district and another, following the genej-al settle¬ ment arrived at in Cleveland at the open¬ ing of the spring season. "Tho bituminous output has made up for any shortcomings in the anthracite ton¬ nage, and the large production thereof has been achieved naturally enough in view of the increase in manufacturing and railroad traffic and in foreign trade, as well as in the multiplication of usage for various public utilities such as gas and electric companies, which are using a constantly increasing tonnage of coal. De¬ mand having been brisk in all directions, once it was well established that the political campaign was not to be the un¬ settling factor that it has been in some presidential years, it followed as a matter of course that the output of bituminous coal amounted high above 460,000,000 tons, and with anthracite showing a total production of more than 80,000,000 net tons, il seems safe lo set down a total of 340,000,000 net tons and more as the year's output, overtopping by fully 40,- 000,000 tons the high mark established in 1910." LUMBER I.VVEXTORIES COMPLETE. Results Show Stocks .Are Lovier at Mill Than Was Expected. WITH the completion of inventories at the lumber mills, marked surprises have resulted among the trade centering around Xew York. In the hardwood de¬ partments stocks are particularly low. The greater stress is laid on plain oak, but other woods are reporting consider¬ able demand. Large consumers of hard¬ woods are evidently following out the plan of steady purchases, which indicates that some mills have contracted far in ad¬ vance on volume. Not in many years has the outlook been so promising in respect to this department as now.