The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-19
BUILDING BOOM
IS SHOWN IN
PERMITS
81, 216 Issued During Month OF
ApriI-Construction Work
Is Active.

Back of the, huge figure,
$s3O,5S1, 1862, which is the total
April valuation 2of building
permits in 200 representative
cities, dies q months planning
for activity when most of the,
business men of the United
States have been giving attention
to the building industry. Great
activity, shortage of men, mount
ing prices are all being gagged
and measured.
All Misunderstanding rods seem to
fall short of the job. according to
reports sent from the 200 cities to
the American Contractor.
A Definite Reaction.
Compared to March activity as
represented by building permit re.
ports. there is definite reaction
from the unprecedented peak
reached in that month so far as.
permits is concerned. The March
valuation is 1897 .404, 1913.
However, the number of permits
number issued in March-the March
HuHlDeE Is iV,oO1 anu tAdC AOA <APAA'
S1,21S.
The greater number for the lesser
valuation indicates without question
that projects of average smaller val
uation predominant during the
fourth month of this year.
New York city valuation shows
q great drop from its March total
of $149.317, 834 to its April valua-
ton of $35,152,996. The reason for
this disparity between the two
months is written upon the statute
books of New York State in the
form of a tax exemption law for
new building, says the American
Contractor.
Both last year and this year. there
existed uncertainty as to whether
the provisions of this law would be
extended beyond the first of April.
Both years, the result has been a
grand rush to obtain permits dur
ing March.
This cause, wholly extraneous to
the ordinary trend of activity, piles
such a huge valuation into the
March totals that IL oveTbalances
the total balance for the remainder
of the United States. II is New
York which causes the April recess
sion.
Analysis Of Cities.
= Outside of the New York ri.etropo.
lis, cities that show gains and those
that show losses, as compared with
March activity, are about equal In
number.
From the tabulation of the 200
cities, an analysis of sixty-five,
chosen because in one or more
months of this year the valuation
has been over 81 900, 900, shows that
thirty-two have lower valuations in
April than in March, while thirty
three have higher valuations.
The total April valuation for these
cities is $2S2,4S4,017 as against
$352,185,671 in March. If New
York is omitted from both months,
the reports for the remaining cities
swing the result to a larger total
for April; but when we are figur-
ing on national building totals, we
cannot logically count on any re-
suit without counting in New York.
Chicago stands ace high among
the cities showing April gains with
a SCI ,814,965 valation. This is the
first month on record during recent
years that Chicago tops the national
list of cities for permit valuation.
In March the valuation for Chi
cago was only $50, 371 ,447. Among
the other cities showing gains are
Cleveland with $4,000 gain; Balti-
more with a million-dollar gain;
Washington, D. c., with six million
gain, and Atlanta and San Fran
cisco each with two-million gains.
Los Angeles Drops.
Los Angeles drops from $21, 1885,
OS7 in March to $15,352,944 in April.
Among other losses are Philadelphia,
Detroit, Boston and st. Louis.
The twenty cities furnishing a
long time index for building activity
show, because of the preponderance
of New York city's April retrench-
ment from it's March tax exempt
fever. a drop from 1921 ,93O,885 in
March to $201 ,097,3 79 for April.
This brings the total valuation of
permits for the first four months
of this year in these cities to the
grand total $791, 936,452.
Last year the total for the first
four months was, in round num-
bers, $517 1000 900.
The total valuation for the whole
twelve months of 1920 in these same
cities was sS66,102 1893.