The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-13
FIGURES SHOW Big
BUILDING INCREASE:
Chicago Report Claiming St.
Paul Activity Was Decreas-
ing Is Disproved.
Totals ............s 81, so, 400 81, $50, 18O


Alleged authentic reports from Chi
cago credit St. Paul With a $4,000, 900
decrease in it's building operations for
included with other large cities which
show decreases, and labor disturbances
are assigned as the cause.
The facts are that st. Paul for the cur
rent year is nearly 100000 ahead of
the showing a year ago. Assistant
Building Inspector Ellerbe says 1903
will distance 1902 over 100000, and in
building circles it will be credited as
the best building year since the boom
times.
Even 1900, in which SO many took
out permits to evade drastic building
law that went into operation that year,
Mr.. Ellerbe says. may be distanced.
Fact Is Easily Verified.
Il am inclined to think the Chicago
dispatch intended 100000 as ST. Paurs
that is wrong" said Mr.. E1erbe, yes
terday. 1.-The truth is we are ahead of
previous years and if any one will take
the trouble to look at the building fig
ures which are each month compiled by
the leading construction journals he
will find st. Paul among the few cities
that have an increase. In respect to
gain st. Paul has distanced Minneapo-
lis every month since the year began,
and that in the face of the fact that
Minneapolis lists every Improvement
from SO up, while st. Paul make no
record of any Improvement under $50.
Minneapolis. has really a loss in it's
building operations, but st. Paul is
ahead, considerably ahead Why, it
has been the best building year since
the boom times. - .54-
Labor disturbances, Mr.. Ellerbe says,
have curtailed st. Paul building opera
lions, but not to the extent of a loss
when compared with previous years.
The plumbers strike was the most Sc
rious, but it came SO late that it's effect
was to delay. structures already begun
Some new work was put off on account
of the strike, but Mr.. Ellerbe expects
to hear from that before the year
Closes ~. 5.-
In the table given only two months
of the current year are behind those
of the same period last year. The sea-
son throughout this time was unusu-
ally late, so late. in fact, that the de-
partment at first did expect a loss.
Repairs Mean Big Sum.
Each year in. figuring up the total
building operations 20 per cent is added
for small repairs and other work for
which no permit is taken out. This
year the figure will be nearer 80 per
cent, as local builders say never in st.
PauPs history was the amount of alter
ations and small repairs so great This
is because of the great demand for
residence property Anything that
shelter human was repaired to make
a rentable2 habitatfon.
Not only has building been good in
respect to small houses and stores.
but some substantial structures have
been added to st. PauPs list of big
buildings. Notably among them are
the Foley Bros. & Kelly and Gordon &
Ferguson buildings at Fourth and
Broadway, the Rock Island freight
building, the Northern Pacific freight
building and large. number of others.
There is every prospect that Oc-
tober, November and December will
close with figures far in advance of
the same period last year. In fact.
only a portion Of October has passed
and the building figure is nearly as
great as for the entire month last year.
Suburbs Should Be Included.
In the figures given no mention is
made of the Improvements at Fort
Smelling, Which is really a part of st.
Paul. though not included in its
boundaries. Here the operations have
been in the millions, and were the
building department to put it down as
st. Paul work, even the boom times
would be distanced. South st. Paul
is another suburb that should be in
Guided. Both Smelling and South st.
Paul drew on the capital of the city for
both material and labor with which to
do their work. s-----'.'ae
While crediting ST. Paul with a. de-
crease, the Chicago dispatch admits
that the official figures show a gain
instead, but says well informed per
sons says it is to the contrary. This
intimates padding, but it is a case of
figures with the st. Paul department,
and there Is no going behind them.
Every person who makes out per
NIT furnishes the department with the
value of the Improvement, and it is
from these values, that the total is
gained.