The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-07-16
BU|LDlG PROJECTS
 INCREASE RAPIDLY Last Ysar's Operations Are Ahead of the Year 1906
NEW ' oRK TAKES LEAD
Many Ciths Show Great Progress in Building While Very Few Are Below the Record for the
 Year 1906

WaSnlngton, July lD.-BullulHS opeia tions in i2S cities of the United States during the calendar year 1909, represent ed expenditures close to S1,00o GOO, or to
 be exact, according to statistics com piled by the United States geological sur vey. $93O ,520,713.
 That result Is taken to be one of the principal indications that during 1909 the country recovered from the financial panic of 1907 and 19oS for the building record for 1906 was beaten 10 per cent. comparison of increases and decreases of the operations in 1909 with those of 1908 is held to be unreasonable, because, 1t is said, 1908 was not a normal year. However, Chicago, which led the in- creases In 1908, with a little more than sS,- 000,000 led them again In 1909 with an in- crease of more than s2S,000.000. New York, which was second in 1908 with an increase of little more than s4,000,000 reported an increase for 1909 of $60,00O,OO0 Brooklyn, which had reported a decrease of more than s25 ,000,000 in 1908, came third In the 1909 increases with growth of SIS, 402,- 061.
 Of the cities that showed decreases in 1909, San Francisco had the largest, $5, 4S4,273, or 17.32 per cent: Dayton was next with $l,533, 7SO, or 47.42 per cent, the largest proportional decrease; and Oak land was third, with s1,oO2,051, or 5.S5 per cent. The decreases in these cities may be ascribed to local causes
 Decreases Explained
 The explanation of the decrease in San Francisco, which at first glance may be surprising when it is recalled that they apply to a city not long ago almost de- e Vad txro or.t1 lrA I. hot 4b1 building in San Francisco has probably reached a point nearly normal, for the first time since the catastrophe of 1906. The annual cost of building operations for five years in San Francisco was: 1905, SIS, ,753; 1906, $3492 396 1907 $56 574, ,S44; 1908, sS1, 1,66S,341; 1909, s261s4,Oss.
 New York in 1909 had the greatest num- Der of new brick buildings. Chicago took the lead in stone structures She also led in concrete buildings, which were reported to be 1791 in number in 79 of the 12s cities reporting, a considerable gain which is taken to show the growing use of that material.
 Seattle had the largest number of new wooden buildings. Chicago, however, built wooden buildings which cost more and they alone were valued at more than s13,- 100000, while Seattle first in numbers was third in values. Reading, Pa., was the only city that reported no wooden build ings erected.
 Fire Resisting Buildings
 New York reported the construction of buildings at a cost of $1S1,- BIS, ,337 Chicago was second, with cost of s79, ,105. zoo; Brooklyn third, $54,e5s,721; Phil adelphia fourth, $42. .57o, ITO; St. Louis fifth, S22 422. .929, and San Francisco sixth, s13,- 124987. The average cost of new fire re- sisting buildings in the 15 cities reporting. the greatest cost for this class ranged from $3151 in Philadelphia to s65,3s4 if New York. In new brick buildings Brook lyn was second, Chicago third. and Phila- delphia fourth. In stone buildings, New York was second and San Francisco third. In concrete buildings Seattle was second and Philadelphia third
 The number of permits issued in 51 cities increased from 174.594 in 1908. when there was a decrease from 1907 of 12,S51 to 213, 49S in 1909, a gain of 3S,904, or 22.2S per cent. The number of permits or buildings does not seem to bear any definite relation to the cost of the operations, as several cities showing increases in cost of buildings showed decreases in number of permits or buildings, while some of those showing decreases in cost showed increases in number of permits or buildings.