Evening star., 1896-10-31
Men Of Moderate Means as q Business
Factor.
OFTEN THE BACKBONEOF HEMARKEr
In Favor Of Days Labor for All Dis
trict Work.
BER OF BUILDINGS


revival of business activity and in this
connection the statement is sometimes
| heard that when confidence is restored
men of means will commence to invest
| their money No doubt this will be the
| case, but it is claimed to be only par
| tial statement Of what will happen when
| the financial depression is lifted. There
| is no doubt that the release of money
| from the places where 1t is now boarded
and its being turned into the active chan
| nels of business will be the features Of
| the expected commercial revival. But that
| all this money will come from the Golfers
| of rich men shows a misconception Of the
| condition of modern business.
| For example there are comparatively few
| rich men who build homes, but there are
| many hundreds of men of moderate
means who secure homes for them
| selves. If the small house purchaser
| is removed from the market real estate
would be duh even during a period of
| what is considered good times. 1t may
seam a small matter, the erection of
| house costing few thousand dollars,
| but when it Is considered that 1T Is only
one of many it can be easily understood
| that the volume of business from this
| source alone Is q considerable one during
| the course Of year.
1 OF course there are class of men who
| erect houses largely by means Of borrowed
| money, and that, as rule. Is obtained
| from the associated capital Of people OF
i small means. But even where speculative
| builders, they are called. are rich men
| and employ their own money, yet they
| are dependent upon the man of moderate
| means for a market and If that element
| is eliminated all this class of building must
| come to an end.
Erecting New Buildings.
! Some interesting figures are furnished by
| the board of assessors in regard to the
| number of buildings in the District. 1t is
| stated that there is total of nearly $1,000
| buildings. While there has been no regular
| record made of the number of buildings
| in the District each year, still there is
| no doubt that If statistics of this character
were available that they would show
| steadily increasing number of these i'm
provements. AS the population has grown
| without check it follows that there must
have been additions to the house accom-
modations the District In the case
| of city like Washington, where the
growth has been steady, it Is sometimes
necessary to resort to statistics in order
| to bring home to the minds of those who
have spent most Of their lives here the
| fact that this city Is forging ahead at
| rate that is a gratifying evidence of pros
perity.
In Place OF the Contract System.
In undertaking to complete the Stevens
School building, upon the failure Of the
| bondsmen to carry out the terms of their
suspended contractor, Building Inspector
Brady establishes precedent. This is the
| first time the District has stepped in and
completed building. In fact, there is only
one other instance in the records of the
department where q contractor failed alb
| solutely to finish a District building.
Not only it is claimed, will the District
be benefited by the early completion of
| this building which should have been fin
ished and occupied some time ago, but all
of the laborers and material men who have
| claims against the contractor will receive
very nearly all that is due them. And
further than this they will all be re-em-
| r.oyed. This experiment is looked upon as
opportune by some for the reason that the
Commissioners will make an effort at the
next session of Congress to have all Dis
| trict work done by days labor, and the
| case of the Stevens School will furnish an
| apt Illustration OF what can be DONE
| 1t Is only by the merest coincidence that
| Inspector Brady finds himself in a position
| to complete this building without involving
| the District in expense for which there is
no appropriation. The contract price for
| the completion of the Stevens School was
| some 5000 below the appropriation The
| difference was to be used in improving the
| grounds and making other minor improve
| ments where necessary. With this nest
| egg the building can be completed as
| originally designed and all claims satisfied.
Done by the District.
| Auditor Petty has been worried not a
| little, he states, by claimants for work
| done and material furnished contractors
| who are behind In their bills. In his an
nual report, which will shortly be pub
| Eshed. he proposes to urge the Commits
| sioners to change the system. Like In
| spector Brady, he believes the District is
| competent to do the work and should he
| allowed chance at least to show what it
| can do.
1t is understood that there will be oppo-
sition to any proposition looking to sys-
| ten Of days labor. The opponents urge
| primarily that workmen will not give as
| much service they now do under con-
| tractors and, as an evident result, each
building will cost more and take longer to
| complete.
Mrs. Hawking Residence.
| Architects c. A. Sherman and A. H. Son.
nemann have prepared designs for and will
\ superintend the construction of new res
| idence which Mrs. S. Hawkins will build
| at Tenleytown. D. c.. The ground-floor
| plan embraces a generous reception hall
| parlor. dining room, pantres and kitchen
! and the house will be surrounded on two
| sides by wide veTanda- The second story
| Will contain bed chambers, bath ROOM ETC.
while the third is devoted to the servant
quarters. The exterior of the building will
| be treated in a modest and homelike STYLE
| Some improvements.
| Plans have been prepared by E. F. Et-
| finger, architect, for a three-story brick
| house to be erected at 305 and 3O7 10th
| street northwest for NJ. Gatti and Mrs. A.
| Reiter.
| A three-story and basement building will
| be erected at 1910 G street northwest for
| Mary j. McAllister from plans prepared by
| Waddy Il. Wood architect
| T. F. Ettinger, architect, has prepared
plans for two-story brick dwelling to be
| tuilt at 1919 Ohio avenue for ]. e. Hurley.
| three-story brick dwelling will be erect
| ed at 21S4 p street for Frank Scheer from
| plans prepared by H. L. Kidwell, architect.
| Take through car for Falls Church at
| Mt. Vernon station, Is 1-2 and Penn, ave-
| nue.. on and after Nov. 1-Atyt