Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-18
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
SIiqht Decrease Noted in the
Business Transacted.
DEALERS LOOKING AHEAD
Building Operations Not Materially
Retarded by Labor Troubles.
TALK REGARDING INVESTMENTS
INQUIRIES From Those Wanting Homes
and Business Sites-Develop-
ments of the Week.

A lob lot of odds and ends OF
weather, with which Jupiter Pluvius
seems to have been overstocked
rumors and reports of strikes and
the absence from the city of some
of the big dealers in the realty mar
ket, and, more important still, the
absence of many wealthy Washing
tonians who have been making land
and building propositions here hum
for the past few months, all served
to make the current week in the
realty market the dullest one OF the
summer thus far. Yet it was far
from featureless. Deals that make
certain a new hotel, a new theater
and the erection of additional bust
ness buildings were carried through.
An important piece Of news OF the
week is the statement from army Of
fcials that the work on all public
buildings in Washington will go on,
strike or no strike.
Probably less business was transacted in
the realty market during the past week
than during any similar period this sum-
mer Yet the developments were far from
low-water mark with nothing like the
stagnaton stage that usually characterizes
the month of August. The possibility of
absolute cessation of work in the building
trades because of the anticipated strike did
not materialize. On the contrary, there was
but very little noticeable difference in build
ing activities. 1t so happens that most of the
buildings under way in the northwest sec
tion of the city where much of the principal
construction work is being done in private
residences and homes generally was in
such stage that but little delay was
caused, and very little time was lost. Real
estate men and builders and contracio rs
are confident that the present differences
between employers and employees will be
settled at a very early day.
Real estate men prophesy that when the
ides of Octobe- roll around Washington
will be the scene of building activity of a
description hitherto unrecorded In the his
tory of the city. The principal building in
ment structureS-was not materially at
fected during the week. and government
officials say, that they do not anticipate any
further trouble-in fact, they are entirely
independent of the labor troubles and the
work will go on on all public buildings
whether there is general lockout or not.
These officials who have been sorely tried
and inconvenienced in the last few months
because of labor troubles not only in
different n the condition hnt n them
go so far as to say that they hope there
will be strike.
Views of Government Official.
ut would really be better for the govern
ment," one of the officials said eff there
was strike. No one but those on the
inside know what trouble we have had with
contractors and workmen during the last
two or three years. 1t has been prac-
tically impossible to make the work pro-
gress as 1t ought to. and the government
has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars
because of labor troubles. The cost of ma
terial has increased very much in value,
labor has gone up, the scale of wage on
all sides is higher and everything in the
building line now far more expensive. Like
most people. my Sympathies are always
with the workmen. 1t looks to me, how
ever, as If their difficulties should be settled
on buildings other than those owned and
cOntTOled Dy the government. An Ameri-
can who does not want to do the best he
can by his country and his capital is a poor
sort of workman. And yet an effort has
been made to make the government build
ings the bones of contention Things have
come to such a pass now that Uncle Sam
will have to take a hand In the game
himself.
The scale of wage for bricklayers, for
example, is actually almost twice as high
as 1t was a few years ago, and all things
taken into consideration 1t is four times as
high. AS an illustration, the brcklayer If
he Is at all expert can lay 1,500 bricks a
day. 1t is fact that many of these work
men are not permitted by their bosses to
lay more than $50. and they are receiving
$3.50 per day. l do not think this is
right"
Work Will Go On.
Another official of high Importance is
authority for the statement that the work
on all public buildings in Washington will
go on no matter what labor troubles tran
spre. The President, the same official as
serts. has done everything in his power for
the laboring men at the capital going so
far as to grant a half holiday on Satur-
day, the same as government clerks and
everything within the bounds of reason has
been done to satisfy the trained workmen
at the capital. These officials do not think
that under the conditions the workmen
should attempt to precipitate trouble when
they have been treated with such fairness
and met halfway with all their contentious.
The best element among the workmen
on both public and private buildings has