Masonry Magazine July 1973 Page. 32
Washington Wire
(Continued from page 21)
They are up 35% over a year ago, double the advance in wholesale prices in general. And even if controls under Phase IV do turn out to be tough and effective, they can do little more than slow the basic-materials price rise.
TOUGH CONTROLS MIGHT VERY WELL CREATE shortages of such commodities. Shortages are already cropping up in a number of materials.. steel, paper, petroleum products, and certain chemicals. Further scarcities can develop. What's more, controls in this country don't affect international prices. Expanding economies in Europe, Japan, and elsewhere make foreign companies more aggressive bidders for raw materials also needed by the U.S. market.
THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN TO CURB EXPORTS may damage coming trade talks. U.S. efforts to negotiate freer trade in farm commodities may be weakened, some officials fear, by Nixon's appeal for new powers to control exports. The President made it clear that he'll cut our shipments of farm products in order to keep Americans eating well, and at stable or even lower prices. European countries have always been reluctant to open up their farm markets. They have maintained that Europe can't rely on outside food-supply sources. They may try to use Nixon's bill as an excuse to give no ground in the talks. The whole agricultural part of the upcoming negotiations may be jeopardized.
White House officials insist the curbs need not have any lasting impact. They argue that the export controls will be gone well before the trade negotiations are completed.
CONSUMER GOODS MAKERS WILL HAVE new trouble keeping their brands out of the hands of discounters as a result of a Federal Trade Commission ruling. Some 36 states have allowed manufacturers to set minimum retail prices on their products. But in 20 states, the rule may be enforced only against stores that sign fair-trade agreements. Now, the FTC has decided that firms can't bar wholesalers in free-trade states from selling to the discounters.
DIVIDEND RESTRAINTS have been virtually eliminated for many companies under new guidelines approved by the Committee of Interest and Dividends. Until now, corporations have been allowed to increase their annual dividend payments by no more than 4% over those of the preceding year. Now companies can use an alternative rule, paying the same percentage of current profits as they did, on average, in the five-year period from 1968 through 1972.
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Masonry Panel System Explored
Frank Tufaro, executive secretary of the Metropolitan Brick Masonry Council, is shown addressing members of the Associated Brick Mason Contractors of Greater New York during the group's monthly meeting at the Sheraton Inn at La Guardia in Queens on the future impact of masonry panels in New York City. Seated to his left are Anthony J. Zotollo, president of the ABMC, and Frank Filloramo, awards committee chairman. Zotollo informed the membership that the meeting was the first in a series of planned informative programs on "Masonry Panels Coming to New York." The following month members of the group visited a masonry panel manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania as well as a project to inspect the panel system in actual operation. Members of the bricklayers' and laborers' unions in New York City also attended. Slide photos were taken during the visit to the job site and shown at the next scheduled meeting.
Bank Promotes Masonry In Oregon
With a residential building boom going on in the Portland area, the First National Bank of Oregon decided to combine this with its own promotional program by featuring building products in the bank lobby-one item per month. Among the first selected was masonry. Two bricklayer apprentices, Gary Parker and George Milne, built these planters in the lobby while bank visitors watched and learned of the skill that goes into a masonry project. Two similar planters were then raffled off and constructed at the homes of the winners. Participating in the unique promotion program was the Oregon Masonry Guild, which said that much favorable publicity -both for the bank and the masonry industry was generated among the local news media.