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King Producers

Tl-re August letter of Neu. York's First National City I3ank lracks a pol-erful brrnch of facts on the corrrrtry's 10-0 manufa.cturing corporations rvith the largest total assets. They are owned by 7,278,000 registered shareholders.

They employed 5,638,000 men and women in 1956, and their receipts came to $115,500,000,000.

About 27'/c rf the receipts l-ent for \\.ages, salaries and labor benefits. l-ess than {c/c was r)aid the nillions of shareholders. Taxes t<tr>l< 1O'/r. 1\[r,re tharr lL half of thc income \vas paid orlt for goods :tnd services.

'fhe total retained in their businesses bv the 100 too manrrf:tt'lurers rvas less than 4/o of gross inconte. ,\dtled to backlog o{ retair-red funcls f rom other years, it rvas not enough to pa1. for needed improvenrenti and expansion of production in 1956. A r.ast variety of expenditures in this area totaled $17,300,000,000. More jobs ! bigger payrolls ! Plain Talk.

This kind c,rf construction is as essential to the life of the natior.r as the building of l'romes, churcl.res ancl schoolsn'l-rich of course depend for existence :rnd sustenance upon factory, lleld and rvorkshop. N{ore marriages call for more homes. More babies, for more schools and cl-rurchcs. Grorving markets demancl expansion of inclustrial plar.rts-and this means rnore jobs to be h1led.

The r-rcu's letter of tl-re Nerv York b:r.r-rk takes notc :

"Such grolth u'iil recluire more and rnore people, rese;irch :rncl investment. To meet the demand for petroleum proclucts alone, it rvas estinratecl recently by an industry spokesman that the r.reu. capital needed ior the next five vears rr'ill amount to $60,000,000,000."

The Dim View...

Nel' York's grand old bank grimly says, "It is hard to see horv construction costs can be curlted."

'I-he National Association of FIome Builders (contractors) states that selling prices of nerv homes took a jump of l8/r, lrom 195.1 through 1956, and puts the median price of rren' lrcrmes in 1957 at $14,80O. This has been alrd is a stcep climb for the average familv that .rvants a ne\v home.

Nation-n.ide, prices of ltasic l>uilding materials are at about the same price level of 195(r, l'hile building \\,ages lrave curved upn'ard 6/a.In some areas this rise has been scr terrific that in one citv-Dallas-plumbers and steamfitters have r'oluntarilv cut iveekclay or,'ertime rates from double time to time and orre half. This report is from "Er.rgineering Nen's-liccord."

So thorrghtful labor leaders are agreecl n'ith other authorities or.r the main c:ruse of clinrlring costs ir-r 1957. These rising cttrvcs are danger'rus curlcs aheacl. Home builclir-rg can lre macle to skid into real trouble on the turns. arrd this rvould mean the clamping of ltrakes on chrlrch and school t:onstructiol-n1d on industrial plant expansion as u'e11. fhis dim vieu' is not your Uncle Jim's. It is that of a great bank of Nen.York, nnitecl n'ith that of plunrbers ancl stearnlit tcrs irr I )allas, Tex:rs.

Aborigine Buys Mendocino Mill

Ukiah, Calif.-The Aborigine I-urnber Co. is buying the \fer-rdocino Coast Lunrber Co. mill in a transaction that also involves the sale of 50 million fect of standing tin.rber, it u'as reported Oct.26. Both firms ()perate mills in-the Fort Bragg area. 'l'he Nlend,rcino Coasl nrill has rr calacity of 60.000 b.f. ancl emplovs 20 men. The Aborigine firm moved to the \Ienclocino coast :Llrout fir.e years ago n'ith its stud mill operation an<l is one of the ma,jor proclucers of studs alonq the Pacific Coast.

NAHB Revises Housing Almqnqc

The National Association of Home Builders has just published a new edition of the Housing Almanac, a 144-page fact-file of the home building industry. NAHB President Geo. S. Goodyear pointed out that, although housing has always been one of man's primary concerns, it is only in recent years that home-buiiding has been recognized as one of the nation's basic industries.

"Today," Goodyear noted, "home-building ranks second only to food in dollar volume of production, despite the fact that our industry is made up of small businessmen, most of whom produce fewer t&ran 50 homes a year."

Realizing the need for a single publication rvhich could provide the general public and all segments of the industry l'ith a basic handbook and file of references relating to home-building, NAHB put out the first edition of the Housing Almanac in 1955. The new edition is organized for ready refence and includes sections devoted to the economics of home-building, special housing programs, the Federal Government and the functions of its agencies relating to housing, home building statistics, a chronology of Federal housing legislation and a special industry "directories" section. The publication contains up-to-date information throughout, including the lou,'ered FHA dorvn payments and 511 percent interest rate put into effect in August.

"Everyone connected rvith our industry-lenders, realtors, manufacturers, suppliers-rvill find ihe Housing A1manac contains information available from no other single source." Goodvear added.

Durably bound and printed in two colors ttrroughout, the Housing Almanac is available to NAHB members through their local affiliated home-builders' associations. Others may order it at $2.00 per copy directly from the National Association of Home Builders. 1625 L St.. N. W.. Wash.. D.C.