The newesl addition lo a lamous insulation lineBnfSnM.WOOf wirh

RDII.EGTIVD I.IND

Balsam-Wool-with its proved advantages of high efrciency. wind and moisture resistance extra ruggedness ...clean, easy handling-introduces the newest "member of the family"-Balsam-Wool with Reflective Liners. This new addition of Balsam-Wool insulations is an effective answel to summer cooling, air conditioning economy plus winter comfort!

tspecially developed lor air conditioning economysrmmer comfort-with the erclmive Spacer Flange !

This newest Balsam-Wool blanket insulation combines reflective liners with an "old" Balsam-Wool exclusive advantage-the Spacer Flange that positions the blanket to provide important air spaces on either side of the insulation. These flanges make correct application easy, assuring air spaces which are essential for proper performance of reflective surfaces.

Again-a StAttD blanlet insulation !

Balsam-Wool's insulating blanket is enclosed (as are all Balsam-Wool insulations) for extra protection. The flanged liner of aluminum foil provides a vapor banrier as an integral part of the new blanket. The other reflective liner ofrers the extra benefit of a rugged wind and heat barrier. Here is 3-way protection...reduces heat transmission by con' duction, convection and radiation. For firll details, write Wood Conversion Co., Dept. 110-76,First National Bank Bldg., St. Paul 1, Minn.

NAHB Surveirs Mounting Costs of Lond, Lcrbor qndMqferiqls

Washington-Mounting price tags on land, labor, material and mortgage money, together with a trend tovrSard stiffer financing terms, are having an adverse effect on housing volume, a spot survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders disclosed. These develooments, coupled with the continuing demand for larger houses, have been reflected in an increase of lI/o in the cost of sale housing, the survey indicated. Participating builders reported a 1956 median of $14,508, a sharp upturn from their 1955 median of 913,050.

"According to the replies to the survey, there will be a decline of about 3O/o in the number of units priced under $10,000, as compared with 1955," a preliminary report noted. It added there would be an "ever greater decline, 4O/o, in the $10,000 to $12,500 category.', Conversely, the survey revealed "very substantial percentage gains" in the higher price groups.

The survey answers underscored the tightness and cost of mortgage money. Three-fourths of the builders answering the NAHB questionnaire reported money was more difficult-and more expensive-to obtain than during the same period a year ago. It was roughly a year ago when the first symptoms of tight mortgage money appeared in the housing market-a trend that foresl-radowed the decline in starts rvhich set in during late 1955 and which is still in evidence today.

The questionnaire was sent to approximately 100 leading NAHB home builders throughout the country. About half of the builders produce more than 100 new homes annually, the remainder less than 100.

"It is clear that the increase in land costs is the largest single factor in the increased sales price of the home being built today," the preliminary report pointed out. The report noted, on the basis of the survey, that the typical fully developed lot has increased in cost more than l7/o in a year.

The report observed that "almost without exception" builders said that the prices quoted by subcontractors and those of labor and material were up from a year ago. More than one-half of the builders said sales were dorvn from a year ago, but a number added that some improvement had set in during the last 30 days.

San Francisco-Too rapid expansion of construction activity this year, even to meet genuinely urgent demands, could increase already-strong inflationary pressures on building costs and might bring about a later readjustment, an official of F. W. Dodge Corporation warned the Building Industry Conference Board at a special meeting here. Dr. George Cline Smith, Dodge vice-president and economist, said that there is plenty of demand for practically every type of construction. "But," he added, "it appears that we have suddenly decided to meet all of our building demands at once. Desirable as this objective might seem, we can't satisfy all of our current needs this year; and, if we try, we will undoubtedly create a traffic jam as demands for money, labor and materials pour in from all sides. The inevitable result of trying to go ahead too fast rvill be short-