The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-12
REAL ESTATE AND
BUILDING NOTES

Washington stands sixth In the list
Of twenty-One cities. building operations
in which, for the month Of September. are
noted by the CONSTRUCTION News" Ac-
cording to this authority. 435 permits
were issued here, calling for an eNpendi-
ture OF S71S,399, as compared with $40 per-
mits, involving Sl.Os9.3l5. in the same
month last year, a loss of 81 per cent.
During the month OF September"
saws the Construction News, per
mits were taken out in twenty-one Of
the principal cities of the country for
6,233 building improvements aggregat-
ing an expenditure Of SIS. C36. $40, against
6.S32 buildings costing $50. 761. POI for the
corresponding month a year ago. show
ing a decrease Of ninety-niae buildings
and $4.I24291 In cost, being equivalent
to 20 per cent This is. in no sense, a
surprise, as it had been expected.
Building operations throughout the year
so far have been upon a tremendous
scale. and it is believed that the re-
naming months of the year will sur
pass the operations for the month just
closed, for the reason that material
and labor are getting upon more nor
NAL basis and the tendency is TO such
an extent I'm that direction that when
operations are resumed again they will
De upon an extensive scale
Strange as it may seem, reports of
prospective building have never been
more numerous than they are now. 1t
is true. probably. that they are not OF
such great magnitude as they have
been during the past two or three
years, but the number is greater and
in the end the volume will be equivalent
to that of the preceding years.
"Of the twenty-one cities, ten show
| increases varying from l 10 60 per cent.
The points at which increases are noted
are widely separated, and are in no
sense remarkable FOR their great ac-
tivity in building at any time. The
/ declines are in the largest cities OF the
country. Allegheny has the most nota-
BILE increase. so per cent; Denver, 81: st.
Paul, Is; Los Angeles. %; Cincinnati.
%; Atlanta. 10; Brooklyn, s; Kansas
City, 5. and Detroit and New Orleans,
1 per cent Eleven of the cities show
| decreases. beginning with Buffalo. 60
/ per cent; Indianapolis. So; Pittsburg.
81; Chicago. IS; Memphis. So; Milwau-
| kee. 81: Washington. 81; Minneapolis
II: New York city. Is: Seattle, 9. and
! San Francisco, per cent
| Building operations in the leading
cities have fallen off materially during
| the nine months of the current year as
1 compared with the same period last
year Demands Of organized labor FOL
higher wages, disputes between en-
ployer and employee. strikes and attend
| ant deterrents TO structural activity are
given as the substantial causes. Chi
cago, New York, Philadelphia, Pitts
burg, St Paul. Minneapolis. ST. Louis
Washington and cities of less population
and minor rank in the commercial worlC
| are sufferers.
These figures show the extent OF th'
falling of: Chicago. S14. 600: New Yori
4 CManhattan), $4,000, 900; Philadelphia
81. OOO. 900; Pittsburg. 100000; st. Paul
I s, 900. 900; Minneapolis, 100000: st
Louis. $4,000: Washington. 81. 900, 900
total. so, $50 900.
In these cities the loss falls not onl.
/ on the contractors but also on the work
ingmen and the general public. The dis
crepancy between the figure CLEANED
from the books of the building depart
i ment permit officials of different cities
and what is believed to be actually tru
is explained by experts in this way
When the season opened scores OF build
ings were projected by capitalists, who
had plans drawn and VINO obtained per
mits, but the sudden advent OF the er:
/ of strikes and disagreements caused Al
! unknown number TO change their minds
| Their permits were not utilized. anC
| the investments in cash indicated il
municipal records were not made. II
| other words. they abandoned the enter
/ prises because OF unsettled labor con
ditions.