Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-11

ing ana a gOod one tney Wouiu sooh tdne
to the woods. There are more real estate
agencies doing large and prosperous bust
nesses at the capital than in any TWO other
cities of the United States of the same pop
ulation. And in my opinion they are not
doing anything like the business that they
will do II we succeed in attracting more
manufacturers here. The outlook for an
enormous real estate business in the fall Is
excellent So far as we are concerned we
do not need any boosting
Inquiry among other dealers seems to In
dictate that this dealer is absolutely cor
rect in his opinion and premises. Com
munications from all over the country, and
especially from the south and west, lnol-
cate that there is a distinct trend toward
Washington. The south Is enjoying an era
of the greatest prosperity that 1t has
known since the civil war. People in New
England enable the southerners to make
a very enjoyable trade by which Wash
ington has been benefited in the past, and
by which there is reason to believe it will
be very much more materially benefited in
the future. Throat and lung troubles are
excessively common through the New Eng
land states and around New York, and the
natives Of those localities like to get down
south. 1t has always been habit with
the southerner to spend the winter in
Washington when he could, and the only
thing that will prevent him from doing
1t is the lack of means. Among many
southerners in the last two or three years
there has come some of the prosperity that
they enjoyed in ante-bellum days. This
enables them to spend the winter at the
capital And the chances are-in fact COM
munica tons from the south indicate strong
ly-that there will be a large colony of
fashionable southerners bere during The
coming winter. AS it is quite possible for
them to rent their homes to the northerner,
juxtaposition is created that is agree able
all around.
The "Four Hundred " Also.
The four hundred of Gotham do not feel
that they are in the social whirl unless
they spend part Of the winter here. and
some of them keep houses here all the year
round. There are signs that there will be
additions also to the New York and Bos
ton colonies. Washington has always been
strange indeed, under existing conditions,
the dealers say, If they do not add to the
high life and social gayety.
The number of new and palatial resi-
dences and homes of more modern archi-
lecture that are being erected in Washing
ton is perhaps unprecedented for the season
of the year Within the last few weeks
one new residence, to cost a half million
dollars, another to cost quarter million
dollars and half dozen in the hundred
thousand dollar class have been added to
the list here. The lesser lights are putting
up homes in the city proper and in the SUBJ
urbS in the classes that run from $4,000 to
$50 900 in a number not easily calculated
without making a street canvass. There are
several thousand bricklayers ana carpen-
tiers and artisans of all descriptions at work
on these houses, and a contractor stated
aseveral days ago that he did not believe the
colony of workmen here who are engaged
on public and private buildings would run
much under 10000.
This same contractor said there is not an
idle workman of either the bricklayer, car
penter masonry class in the clty-that is
if he wanted to work. There is work in
abundance for many more If they could be
attracted here. This builder declared, how
ever that this is a difficult matter for the
reason that the scale of wages Is practical
ly the same here that it Is in some other
nearby cities 1t is not possible, therefore,
to get all the workmen here that are
needed.
Makes a Suggestion.
The contractor said he thought the job
bers and Shippers Association can very
materially assist in the good work of build
ing up Washington If they will get up a
table Of facts going to show what is the
cost Of living here and elsewhere. He said
he came here from New York and he would
go on the witness stand and testify at any
time that a workman can live here for less
money and live better than he can in New
York. And moreover, said he, the fact
ought to go out that the workman gets
something for his money here and place
and space where he can breathe and where
his children will not be forced to sleep on
fire escapes. He had also worked In Balti-
more and Philadelphia, and he stated en-
phatically that he Is living as cheaply here
as he did in either of those cities, and he
hoped circumstances and building condt-
lions would be such that he will not have
to move away at least until he has reared
his children.
There are educational advantages here
he added, that he had not found in other
cities, and In New York and Philadelphia,