The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-09-12
GARAGES LEAD
HOMES IN 1920
Review Of Building Construction
Figures DiscIoses Some In
teresting Information.
HOME CONSTRUCTION DROPS
Money Spent on Moving Picture Thea
tiers Equals That for Churches and
HospitaIs-NewR Residences Fail
to Keep Pace With Marriages

Neutrality-suspicious. garages thai
houses were built In the United State,
last year and more money was spent
In the erection of motion picture
theaters than for churches and hos
pitfalls combined
| The discovery Of the orgy OF garage
building and the boom In the establish
ment of new motion picture theaters
was made by Secretary Davis in re-
viewing the figures on building con-
struction for 1920 compiled by the
labor department for 1873 cities in
the United States containing more
than 80 per cent Of the total popula-
ton.
Mr.. Davis perusaI of the figures fur
Their showed that the outlay for
garages exceeded expenditures for
erection of schools. He also found
that home building failed utterly to
keep pace with the number of mar
riages long considered an accurate
gauge by which to measure the normal
construction of dwellings. 1t is the
opinion of the labor secretary that the
prospect Of catching up on the hous-
ing shortage is black indeed.
$1,204, ACC, 764 Total Cost.
1.-THE reports from 1916 cities of more
than $4,000 population EACH" said Sec
rotary Davis, "show that ST .2O4. 400. 1874
was expended in building construction
in 1920. The population of these cities
<nto 1c n
one-family houses constructed at a
cost of 1906 124.663. or 24.6 per cent
of the total amount of money spent In
all kinds of building. There were only
8, 402 twO-family houses built; but
while in all the one and two-family
houses combined there were but 3d.
1O3 families provided for, there were
90, 121 garages built.
ITO be sure an unknown number Of
families were provided for in the ], 1876
apartment houses that were built as
such and the 239 apartment houses
built with stores combined. Still,
making liberal estimates for these,
Jared better than families. /
There were 426 moving picture and |
,ther amusement places built in these |
titles during the year at a cost Of $40
i23, 40. or considerably more than the
'ost Of churches and hospitals com
lined: and while these cities con-
tructed SAT school houses their cost,
40, was but little more than
alf the money spent on the garages
Building Lays
The Importance of these figures
rom a social point of view is that
hey show that building construction
or the purpose of housing families
lgs far behind the current increase
] the demand for houses. If we apply
ne marriage rate that obtained in 1916
} the population of these 1876 cities
e find that in 1920. 1862, 7S5 marriages
,ok place in the cities considered 1t
sed to be that marriage very gen y
ally meant new separate family
I'D new demand for home either
rough purchase or rental Thus, [
lose conditions have somewhat
ranged, but If only half OF the newly
arried couples seek homes to them
Ives we are building not more than r
If OF the. accommodations required,
that instead of catching up with the :
suit of the cessation of residence
Hiding during the war we are not I
DIVIDING for in housing more than 8
per cent of the newly established 8
Miles" =