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Show TIME TO BUILD, PRICES ARE DOWN Statement Made that Lumber Has Dropped Forty Per Cent in Price Since March. There are many reasons for urging more building at the present time, and particularly in the western half of the United States. Trado from west coast mills into eastern competitive territory has been temporarily demoralized until readjustment read-justment is accomplished under new freight rates. A great deal of publicity has been given the fact that Henry Ford has announced about a 20 per cent, reduction reduc-tion in his automobiles and other nu-Itomobile nu-Itomobile manufacturers have made similar cuts. Lumbermen have said nothing, but without reducing wages they have reduced re-duced tho price of lumber 40 per cent, below the prices prevailing last March. These figures can bo proved by any manufacturer's books, Tho demand for houses is increasing daily. Tho government says tho country coun-try is short 1,000,000 homes. Labor is more efficient and more plentiful than it has been for three years. Lum-iber Lum-iber and mill work amounts to 31 per cent, of tho cost of frame dwellings. Western states are particularly interested in-terested in keeping tho sawmills running run-ning as it means employment of hundreds hun-dreds of thousands of persons. While shipments to the east ar slack, thus causing Accumulation of lumber at western mills with resultimr lower prices, every person figuring on j building should tnko advantage of tho situation as a good business proposition. proposi-tion. ! Spring will see a demand for building build-ing materials such as this nation has never witnessed. In mild western j states foresight should prompt building build-ing this winter. |