Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Please note: this text may be incomplete. For more information about this OCR, view About OCR text.

158 RECORD AND GUIDE January 23, 1915 BUILDING MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES I GENERAL STRENGTHENING TONE OF THE MARKET NOTED AS CONSTRUCTION SEASON APPROACHES—PRICE TREND UP Suburban Requirements Approach Normal—Gynbco's Annual Meeting VVT" ITH the opening of the building W season only six week off, the material market displayed more strength this week on inquiry. Specifications to manufacturers from wholesalers are com¬ paring favorably with those in January a year ago, indicating that dealers ex¬ pect a fair volume of first quarter busi¬ ness. Second quarter business is de¬ cidedly better. Some of the largest dis¬ tributors are in the market for normal spring supplies and much of the early winter hesitancy is disappearing. Continued mild weather helped the consumption of common brick. But it also permitted Haverstraw brick to come in. Prices advanced, however, as the cold spell approached. Cement plants are undergoing their annual repairs and have either curtailed outputs or have suspended temporarily. Lime manufac¬ turers are also getting ready for spring business. Agents say some are putting in larger capacity. Lumber is being held at prices nearer list. The meagre cutting made neces¬ sary by light snow falls is having its effect upon the supply. Structural steel is steady at 1.21c. and 1.26c., tidewater. Pig iron is also re¬ ported to be firmer. Equipment com¬ panies have been showing more interest in second quarter deliveries. New levels have been reached in lin¬ seed oil. It has been half a year since this commodity has reached 60 cents, where it now is. It is not ex¬ pected to go higher. The Duluth mar¬ ket has eased off practically two cents. Paint interests*, however, apparently are not taking any chances. Local dis¬ tributors declare that the demand is still good. _ The supply here is not heavy. Coal is in weak demand. Mines are operating under restricted output. A change is expected now that colder weather has set in. Some suburban retailers see indica¬ tions of a continuation of industrial building expansion. Development com¬ panies are also showing signs of activ¬ ity. This is taken as an indication of general easing of money. Speculative interests are usually about the last to obtain financial backing, following a de¬ pression, and only the strongest are making their plans. The scope of the preparations are being made by inter¬ ests owning Newark, Jersey City, El- mora, Plainfield and Westfield acreages indicates that the New Jersey demand for building material will be at least keen. Westchester development oper¬ ations are still quiet, but Queens activ¬ ity is beginning to be felt in inquir¬ ies for second quarter and midsummer deliveries. There is marked improve¬ ment in the burned clay building mate¬ rial inquiry in that quarter, according to the largest manufacturers of this kind of building material. Following is the week's new building plan filings. In the corresponding week last year 148 new building plans were filed with an estimated value of $2,073 - 945. " ' Week ending, Jan. 15. Jan. 22. No. Est. val. No. Est. val. Manhattan .... 6 $442,100 3 ^S.'iOCKK) Bronx ......... 10 262.600 9 224 050 BVooklyn....... 47 322,250 54 412 650 Queens ........ 57 130.950 40 97 750 Richmond ..... G 10,790 11 23,800 Totals ...... 126 $1,168,690 "m $1,588,250 PORTLAND CKMEAT. Prices UnchaneeU, But ManufaeturerM Are Making RepairN. p RACTICALLY every cement plant is under- * going repairs in the Lehigh aud Hudson dis¬ trict. It is significant, however, that this year the repairs are on a somewhat more elaborate scale than heretofore, indicating that manufac¬ turers in the East at least are laying plans for a general improvement in husiness. Discussing the situation in the eastern marlcet this week a leading manager said : "Here and there I tind real evidence of a change in the general trend of business. In¬ quiry is better, the IngersoU-Rand and similar companies are taking some big orders, the rail¬ roads are coming out with held back construc¬ tion work and collections are better. This is being reflected in Portland cement. The seventy- five cent valley basis still holds, and there does not seem to be any disposition to change it. It is the logical outcome of a restricted market and a disposition on the part of manufacturers to clear as much as possibe before the spring demand develops. "Personally I look for much better things. Export business is Increasing, we have weath¬ ered the shock of the war, our financial markets are open again and the mortgage marliet here and elsewhere throughout the country is much easier. We are operating our plant to full ca¬ pacity, but for the moment we have curtailed to make repairs, as is customary at this time of the year. We are planning for an increasing volume of business this year." many stock sizes from the factories, ready for consumption. Current prices for window glass in the local market is 00-10 to 90-15 per cent, for single thick and 90-15 to 90-20 per cent, discount for double thick, from jobbers' list. W lime:. UIk ComimnieN Holding; to List Under Keen Competition. HILE the general lime market has main- tamed a fairly steady position in this market there has been some shading by smaller rompanies. The larger companies are holding steadily at the list price, however. Tbe sales manager of a big manufacturing company said : •■Tbe lime market in general is picking up. We believe that even this unsettled condition iu the price situation is temporary. Competition has been keen. There is likely to he a re¬ action at this time of the year, but I am con¬ vinced that this time the recovery will be prompt in coming because of generally improv¬ ing conditions in the building and construction situation." WINDOW GLASS. Production Curtailed, Althouj^h Manufac- turerN Are Looking: to Foreingr Trade. A CCORDING to advices received throughout ** the country from glass interests of all kinds, domestic business in eastern terri¬ tory is still exceptionally dull, and there is no immediate prospect of much increase in out¬ put. One leading importing and jobbing house says its trade has fallen off since August 1 about one-third. Another equally good estab¬ lishment gives its output for 1914 as less hy two-thirds than normal. Just now buyers are more interested In taking and calculating in¬ ventory than buying glass. A feature of much of the foreign business is that It is wanted in stock sheets, that for win¬ dow glass. 100 sq. ft. to case, as put up usually in Belgium and England against 50 sq. ft here. For the British Isles thcv want it in cases of 300 sq. ft. for single thick, and 2(H> sq. ft. double thick, from which they cut to suit instead of our method of cutting and shipping LAWRENCE STOCKHOLDERS TO MEET. Siieclnl Trip to Siegfried. Pa., to Inspect Plant. C TOCKHOLDERS of the Lawrence Portland '-' Cement Co., of 1 Broadway, and of Sieg- iried. Pa.. Ernest R. Ackerman, president, will meet on Wednesday. January 27. A special train has been arranged to convey those com¬ ing from Eastern New Jersey and New York to the plant. The ferry connecting with this train will leave the foot of West 2:^1 street at 8.35 in the morning, and from Liberty street at S.45 o'clork. The train will arrive at Siegfried at 11.30 o'clock. It will leave on the return trip at 5.30 o'clock, arriving at Liberty street at S.fl7 in the evening. (iWIICO'S ANNUAL MEETINfi. UueMtlou of Policy Vested In Committee of Seven, AT the annual meeting of the Greater New ^» York Brick Company, held on Tuesday, at 103 Park avenue, the old officers and old board were re-elected as follows: John B. Rose, presi¬ dent; A. E. Aldrich, vice-president; Frank De.Voyellos. secretary, and Robert Main, treas¬ urer. The return of Pbilip Goldrick to the board restores it to its full membership. A com¬ mittee of seven was appointed by President Rose to establish a new policy for the company, the board agreeing to abide by the recommendations of this committee. The review of the brick sftuatlon for 1914 showed a good year, considering the cartailment in building construction during tbe last five months. President Rose outlined the prospects for 1915. which, he said, tended toward normal. W MECHAMCS AND TRADERS BANQUET. Brooklyn Dealem Have Fourteenth An¬ nual c;et-To-sether Feast. HE.\ it comes down to the art of making business rivals fraternize, M. N. Canda, G. \V. Anderson and Daniel J. Morrison carry their own commercial enterprise and ingenultv into the realms of pleasure for others and get away with it. That is why the fourteenth an¬ nual banquet of the Mechanics and Traders' Exchange, in Brooklyn, Thursday night, took a frontlKplecc in the history of Goodfellowship Among Brooklyn Building Material Distributors and will long serve as a precedent for other committees to follow. That was. in brief, the essence of the remarks of President J. T. Castle when he addressed the two hundred guests before the real party began, but the volume of applause and cheering that greeted his expression of gratitude gave evidence that every per.son there had for some time been merely waiting to give utterance to similar senti¬ ments. The Imperial banquet hall never harbored a more jovial assemblage. There were entertainers galore who demonstrated that "Made in Ameri¬ ca" voices at least had a competitor's chance with those "Made in Germany" or raised in -Milan, but, aside from the oratory of President Castle, whose speech occupied just two and five- tenths minutes by the clock, which immediately thereafter was turned to the wall ; the stentorian tones of the spellbinder were made conspicuous by their absence. The rising vote of appreciation given by the guests put a final peace tax stamp upon the note of harmony engendered by the get- together Idea. COMMON BRICK. Prices Advance—Supply Low—Unloading More Active, r^ OMMO.N brick moved up early this week ^ from $5^5.25 per M. wholesale to $5.75 to $0. Incidentally the unloading from barges to job was the heaviest full week this year, the total being 2.077,000. Cold weather and a gradual revival of building were factors in bringing about the advance. When the week opened there were only two open barges left on tbe market. When it closed there were 6 open barges left and 44 on the covered list, making a total of 60 barge loads, or 21,000.000 brick. Gnybco reported yesterday that it had only two open barges in the basin and these had been spoken for. They were quoting to¬ day and will continue to quote only covered brick. It was predicted by one agent that before the week ends, providing there is favor¬ able building weather, the price for good cov¬ ered brick will go as high as $6.25. Raritan brick stiffened at prices running from $5.i5 to $0. At the banquet of the Brooklyn dealers on Thursday night the statement was freely made by large and small distributors that a more liberal inqnuiry had developed within the last ten days than at any time since Oc¬ tober. Official transactions for Hudson River brick covering the week ending Thursday. Jan. 21, in the wholesale market, with comparison for the corresponding period last year, and a compara¬ tive statement of Hudson brick unloaded from barges for consumption here, follows: 1915. Open barges, left over, Friday A. M.. Jan. 15. 2. Arrived. Sold. Covered. Friday. Jan. 15............ 0 0 0 Saturday, Jan. 16......... 0 0 0 Monday, Jan. 18........... 0 1 0 Tuesday, Jan. 19........... 9 3 4 Wednesday, Jan. 20........ 0 0 1 Thursday. Jan. 21......... 0 1 0 Total ................... 9 5 5 Reported en route. Friday. Jan. 22—0. Condition of market, weak. Prices: Hudsons, ."P5.75 to .$6. firm ; Raritans, $5.75 and $6 (wholesale dock. N. Y.); tfor dealers' prices add profit and cartage) ; Newark. $0.75 to $7.25 (yard), .\ominal. Open cargoes left over Fri¬ day A. M.. Jan. 22—5. Covered, 5; covered sold. 2 ; total covered left over Jan. 21—14. Unloading. Jan. .S. . .10 ;;S2.0(fO Jan. 15. . .14 459.000 Jan. 9...11 218.5(10 Jan. 16...14 385.000 .Ian. 11...18 476,)fOO Jan. 18... 7 30,(XX) .Ian. 12... 4 lO.(HK) Jan. 19. . .16 4S0,5(X) .Ian. 13. ..12 1.59..*ili0 Jan. 20. ..12 395.500 .Ian. 14...17 OOO.nOo Jan. 21...13 326.500 Total...78 1.852.000 Total...76 2,077.000 1914. Left over. Friday A. M.. Jan. 16—125. Arrived. Sold. Covered. Friday. Jan. 16........ 1 0 0 Saturday, Jan. 17...... 0 1 0 Monday. Jan. 19....... 0 2 1 Tuesday. .Ian. 20....... 0 o 0 Wednesday. Jan. 21. ... 0 2 0 Thursday. Jan. 22...... 0 1 0 Total ................ 1 6 1 Condition of market, stiffening at top quota- ' tions. Price: Hudson. $5.5(i to $6; .Newark, yard. $7.25 to $7.50, stiff. Left over Friday a. m.. Jan. 2:t—120. OFFICIAL SUMMARY. Left over Jan. 1, 1!H5.................... 64 Total .\o. bargeloads arrived, including left over bargeloads. Jan. 1 to Jan. 21, 1915. 79 Total No. bargeloads sold Jan. 1 to Jan. 21. 1015 ................................... 20 1915 ...............;................... 49 l!i15 ................................... 49 Total No. bargeloads left over Jan. 1. 1914 117 Total No. bargeloads arrived, including left over. Jan. 1 to Jan. 22. 1914........... 145 Total No. bargeloads sold Jan, 1 to Jan 22, 1914 .................................. 25 Total No. bargeloads left over Jan. 23, 1914. 120