The Raymer enterprise., 1919-05-15
BUILDERS FACE
RECORD SEASON
United States Field Agent Re.
ports Revival All Over
the Country.
WEST cRITIcIzEs UNCLE SAM
improvements During 1919 VIII Equal
That Of Any Five Years in the
country's History - Report
100000, 900 Contracts.

Washington.-A decided revival of
building all over the country. but par
tcularly In the middle West, is report
ed by Henry T. league, field agent for
the United States department OF labor.
who has just completed six.weeks'
tour from coast to coast
There will be great deal Of public
building during the next six months"
says league. 'The public improve
ments program for 1919, | am con-
vlnced, will equal that Of any FIVE
years In the country's history, and the
road-building activities from the At
lantic to the Pacific. once they are un-
der way, will be tremendous.
'rhe scope Of improvement work Is
much larger In the West than In the
East.
There Is much criticism In the West
OF the governments failure to go ahead
with It's own building operations. In
many localities federal buildings, for
which sites, plans and appropriations
were made before the war, are held up
because the original appropriation Is
not high enough to cover the increased
cost OF construction and additional
money has not been granted
New Orleans. says Mr. Teague,
shows more building activities than
any city he visited. The city is spend
Ing sl4,0O0,00O on the municipal docks.
employing more than 10000 men.
South Bend, Ind, is developing a
model Industrial residence section. CIV
Ing homes to 1900 new employees OF
the Studebaker corporation, which Is
to build new ssO00Oo0 factory.
Here's Building Program.
Other important building projects re-
ported by Mr.. league are:
Newark. n 100000 depart
ment store by J, l.. Bamberger.
Kansas City. Mo.-s2,000,000 inter
urban station.
Sioux City. Ia.-s2,ooO,ooo grain ele.
yators for the Terminal Grain corpor.
alton.
Mllwaukee-s1, ,OOO, 600 apartment ho-
tel, $4,000 hotel and $4,000 depart
ment store.
Allentown. Pa.-s5oo,ooo office build.
ing and theater.
Detroit, Mlch.-s350Oo0 department
store.
Cleveland. o.-s3Oo,0oo store and
theater building.
New Haven. Conn.-$S0O addi-
tion to Grace hospital.
Evanston, Ill.-s250 900 hospital.
Chlcago-sls,00o. 900 railway station.
Portland, Ore-S5O0, 900 stadium and
live stock pavilion.
The department OF labors division
OF public works and construction de-
velopment reports that approximately
slOOOoo,Oo0 In private building con
tracts were reported to 1t In Febru-
ary The total OF the January con
tracts was only half that sum.
Nearly all the states showed an In.
crease from week TO week during last
month In private construction work.
The New England states, for Instance
In the first week Of February reported
contracts awarded to the amount OF
S3SO,0oO; In the second week, $3.50, 900:
third week, $500. 900, and fourth week,
100000 OF this construction, % Der
cent was of an Industrial character. 80
per cent business and 40 per cent resi-
Dental.
New England's showing however. is
far behind that Of the Western states.
Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana,
Michigan, Missouri and Kansas show
a fivefold Increase In February over
January. In this district the figures
are: First week In February, $4,000
900; second week. 100000: third
week, s46.00000O; fourth week, $780,
100000.
Private Work sfIa Per Cent
In the middle West 91la per cent Of
the construction contracts for Febru.
ary were for private construction, 8
per cent state and municipal work and
one-half per cent government construc-
tion
New York and New Jersey also show
important Increases In February, and
In these two states residential building
made up only 10 per cent OF the total.
Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania
also show slight Improvement over
the January figures. and 3s per cent |
OF the total was for residences.
Minnesota and the Dakotas report.
ed contracts Of about 100000, as
against $4,000 for January.
These facts show that the hesltancy
about starting construction projects be.
cause OF the high cost OF materials Is
apparently being overcome all over
thu cnnutry