The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-02
BUILDING ACTIVE
IN SPITE OF LABOR
Statistics Show Increase in
Construction Projects
Over Last Year.
GOVERNMENT LENDS AID
Backs Nationwide Gown Your
Own Home" Campaign-Is
Bringing Results.
GOVERNMENT LENDS AID

Despite the unrest manifest In the IA
Dor situation. building activities are in
creasing. according to affirmative re-
ports from many quarters. In New
York State building has started even
earlier than Is usual, and In all but three
cities It has shown decided increase
over the same period of last year. Other
States. too. show increases. A nation ,
wide Build Your Own Home campaign
is gaining Roadway. with the United
States Department of Labor backing II.
The bureau of statistics Of the New
York Industrial Commission Is authority
for statement Of the upward trend in
building. Figures gathered by It show
that only three cities within the State "
have failed to show an Increase in tho y
unusually early building that ordinarily ).
begins in March. These are Albany.
Troy and Utica, where, incidentally. the
decrease Is aggregately small.
The boroughs Of Brooklyn and Queens
and the cities of Binghamton, Schenec-
tady and Syracuse made larger expendi-
lures for building In January. 1919,
than In January. 1918. according to the
report.
New building projects now scheduled
to start during the spring and summer
months are widely diversified In charac-
ter and include STRUCTURES of all types.
In New York city plans have been pre-
pared for new apartment houses of the
highest type a number Of moderate
priced multi-family houses loft and Of
fee buildings, public and private schools,
churches. stores. garages and a consid-
cradle amount of private house dwell
ings and two or three theatrical enter
prises of more than usual interest.
Housing Operations Planned.
In Brooklyn the paramount feature Of
the programme of projected construction
is the great number of housing operations
planned, including speculatively built
dwellings for one and two families,
apartments and tenement houses and
the large volume OF commercial garage
construction.
The boroughs of Queens and Rich
mond during the past week or two have
witnessed marked Improvement In the
number OF new operations brought out.
though they are relatively insignificant
in size and In scattered localities. The
only exception Is in Long Island City.
| where a great amount OF factory and
| industrial building Is anticipated and
where many dwellings will be created.
| Outlying districts on Long Island
promise considera Bile activity this year
| in small house construction. and in the
erection OF handsome private residences
| and the development and Improvement OF
| country estates. According to the plans
now completed, or in progress, large
sums OF money will be expended during
the next twelve months for high class
! residential building in Nassau and Suf-
| folk counties
New Jersey will give New York
| close race in the number cost and
diversity Of its scheduled structural op-
erat!ons for which plans arc ready or
in progress. and for which II il conf
| IDENTIFY expected contracts will he
awarded in the near future Some Of
| the largest and most costly OF the pro-
posed new construction in the metro
politan district is 10 be located in New
Jersey and there is also a tremendous
volume or contemplated apartment and
tenement house, small dwelling and mis-
cellaneous building construction await
| Ing an opportunity to start
Many men in public life are urging
| the immediate resumption OF building.
Among them is Senator William NJ.
CALDER or New York. who declares that
| construction will stimulate business
There Is real demand for housing
all over the country" says Senator
Calder. and II l were TO offer advice
1t would be to urge the builders to
watch their opportunities and be pre-
, pared to take advantage Of them when
| they are presented.
You are met with the problem Of
whether one can afford to build under
present prices Ny own opinion is that
prices will never return to whore thev
were before. and while there is bound
to be period OF reconstruction serious
TO your trade the ingenuity OF tho
| American builder Is such that he can
by substituting materials obtain a lower
price and make UP to a certain extent
the difference In increased costs
Building Basic Industry.
THE nation should Immediately interest
| Itself in the investment of its labor and
surplus capital in the basic Industry OF
construction. because every dollar and
every hour OF labor thus invested has
earning power and will ultimately
cheapen tho coseD producccn OF COM
modities"
The labor unrest that is evident now
In the building trades Is said TO be not
as formidable as It at first eppeared.
Though there Is a etrke OF the basic
building trades II effects only 25 per
cent Of the off1oe building contractors or
| rather contracts for building through
out the United States. The employers
declare that the walkout OF the union
! mon Affects them but little There arc
estimated to DO 100000 men idle ms a
result OF the strike
AS far as can be learned the big build
ers are not DESTROYS OF cutting down
wages The New York State Assocla-
| ton OF Builders in convention last week
resolved ''to take no action IN regard to
change in wage scales" thus verify
| ing to some degree the obvious inten-
| ton OF builders to maintain present
scales. at least for Indefinite period.
Altogether II seems that obstacles to
| building are being overridden by labor,
contractor and owner. and that despite
these obstacles spring building is getting
under way In Increased proportion and
much earlier than usual.