OCR Text |
Show Peak Production To Prfeet Need For .Roofing Shipments of asphalt shingles in the first six months of 1947 exceeded ex-ceeded the total of the entire year of 1941, pre-war peak. To meet unparalleled demand, the industry last year supplied 86 percent of the nation's roofing needs, according to the Department Depart-ment of Commerce. To meet this demand, shipments were increased 82 percent in five years. At the present rate, the industry this year will produce more than 80 million squares. Because production has been high, prices are low. Asphalt strip shingles, for example, most widely used roofing in new home construction and in remodeling work, are currently selling at a lower wholesale price than in 1926, the base from which the Bureau of Labor Statistics computes com-putes the rise and fall of building build-ing material prices. ! |