New Britain herald., 1919-03-11

employment problem will be far less pressing"
 Mr. Teague returns to Washington 10 attend the conference of gover- nors and mayors invited to Washing ton to confer with President Wilson and the secretary of labor on indus trial problems.
 Private individuals and corpora tions are responsible for most of the building activity in that section of the country east of the Missouri river and north of the Ohio, accord ing to statement just issued by the division of public works and con struction development of the United States departme of labor. The building figures in the statement are for the first three weeks in February and, while they show building actlvi- ties far below the pre-war normal they show, also, a marked increase Tn February over January of this year
 Contracts awarded during the nrst three weeks in February cover pulld- ing and construction works to cost. approximately, 92,O00,000. The total of the January contracts was put $50, ,731,OOO. February's increase over January since the former figures are for three weeks only, will be more than s50,00O,OO0, or almost double the January figures.
 New England is not making the showing western districts are nak- ing. The New England states, dur ing. the first week in February, re- ported contracts awarded to the amount of $S31,O00. Tn the second week the sum was s554,oo0. and for inc third week, $662,00o, making a total for the three weeks of s1,537,- 900. The January total was S4,64S,- 900. The department of labor's statement makes this comment on the New England situation:
 "The New England section con- trasts in this respect with other sec tions of the country, especially the middle west where February is show ing a large gain over January in the amount of contracts awarded. Of the contracts awarded during the week ending February 20, private con- struction was 94 per cent while per cent was for government construction, nothing in the way of municipal or state improvements being included. Of the private construction 22 per cent was of an industrial character. 22 per cent business, and 4G per cent residential"
 New York and New Jersey show a gain in February over January. Dur l ing the first week in February this l district reported contracts on build l ing and construction work totaling 1 S3,716, 1000; during the second week, s2, 242,0 900, and in the third week, S3.- l 201, 900. Total for the three weeks, 1 S9, 900. The January total was , $S,152,o00. Of the contracts awarded during the week of February 21. in 1 money value Il per cent was for pri- , vate interests and 24 DOT cent for 1 state and municipal work, while fed 1 eral government work was per cent 1 Of the private construction 7S per cent was of an industrial nature and only 10 per cent resi- lcntial.
 In Philadelphia, Baltimore and 1 Washington and adjacent territory, 1 contracts awarded in the first week l of February were of money total of ] s2.1S7, 900; tho second week the total was $1.577,o 900 and for the third 1 week s1.577, ,000. a total of s4.934.- 1 900 for tho three weeks. The con- 1 tracts in January totalcd s15,S05, ,OOo. 1 This latter figure, however. was 1 larger than the normal for January based on figures from 1910 to 1917 Tn that period the January contracts
 did not exceed 100000.
 l Ohio, West Virginia and western l Pennsylvania. show contracts award
 cd in the sum of s1.96o 900 for the
 first week in February. s3.363,00O in l the scond, and S1,17S,000 for the ] third week. As January shows con-
 tracts in tn sum of $7,916,oo0. if the I district keeps up the February aver
 age for the last week in the month 1t will show a slight improvement l over January. Residential building in this territory was 3S per cent of the private building which latter was
 80 per cent of the total.
 Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana ! Michigan, Missouri and Kansas OF
 the basis of the department of labor's figures, show approximately a i've 1 fold increase in February over Jan 1 uary. For the first week in February 1 in this district, the contracts reported totaled S14,5S5,0O0 during the sec ond week, sS,3S3.0O0, and in the third | week $46, ,146,00O. The three weeks
 total is S69,114,oOO. The Januar,
 total was s13,710.000 The division
 of public works and construction de.
 velopment makes this comment or
 the western figures:
 Tt is evident that the business
 men of the central west are wakins
 up to the fact that those who star
 building early this spring are no
 making any mistake in the matter O.
 costs. Of the total of over S46,O0O.
 900 for the week ending February 22 ; 9l 1-2 per cent was private construc
 ton, 8 per cent state and municipa
 work and a fraction of one per cen
 government construction
 Minnesota, North and South Da
 kota. show an increase in February 1 For the first three weeks in Februar, 1 tho contracts in this district tota
 sS19,000 as against s500,Oo0 for tht