Evening star., 1923-05-01
100000 SPENT .
|NM0v|NG CRUSH
New Workers Rush to Coun.
try to Dodge High Rents.
Same Steps in Chicago.
BY ]. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. May Pew city
dweliers had to leave orders to be
walked "to be Queen of the May" to-
day The moving men woke them.
Scores Of thousands Of families
throughout the country packed up
their household belongings and for
sock temporarily or permanently the
abiding places they have been occupy
ing.
Moving men in New York and vic
Unity estimated that the movement
of city dwellers here into other quar-
ters next week would cost approxi-
mately $2.000,000. The movement Is
the heaviest in decade and van
and storage companies are sWamped
with business.
The most significant part of the
movement. according to reliable re-
ports from widely separated sections
of the country, is that people are
storing their furniture and moving
to the suburbs and the country.
Cannot stand High Rents.
1.-THE present rush was unexpected
by u.s." said Charles F. Norris. presi-
dent of the New York Carting and
land is attributable to the high
prices of city apartments. 1t was
necessary for people to have these
apartments in the winter, but as soon
as they could they got rid Of them
and are storing their furniture and
moving to the suburbs and the
beaches. They can't stand the pres
sure of high rents
One of the moving companies in
this section. with offices in twenty
cities, which makes speciality of
long-distance carting, declared today
that its vans have been buster than
ever before and predicted that the
movement from the cities to the coun-
try would continue unabated until
July l.
Rush to Small Towns.
]. S. Brossman of one Of the large
that his company could accept no
more business until well along in
May. High rents are driving hun
dreds Of families away from Chicago
TO the small towns. Renters would
rather go where they can find more
reasonable quarters than buck the
landlords"
Furniture in storage has increased
from 10 to 80 per cent In various sec
tions of the country. Building opera
tions in the last eighteen months, 1t
is estimated, have reduced the hous-
ing shortage Of the country by 25 per
cent. but the increasing costs OF con-
struction. builders say, make 1t i'm
and at the same time secure an ade-
Quate return on building investments.
No Sign of Lower Rents.
Building activity in many sections
continues undated, yet in spite OF
that fact a housing shortage exists
in the cities of the northwest and
middle west, with no rental decreases
in prospect. In the Pittsburgh dis
trict permits for dwellings are being
issued a the rate of S1,0U0,000 a day,
and one operator alone took out per-
mitS in one day for a group of houses
costing 100000.
The movement among architects
and contractors to stop building tenn
porarily. to check the ever upward
trend of labor costs in the building
trades. is spreading to other sections
of the country. but both skilled and
mand.
Fight Sugar Prices.
CTusades of housewives against the
rising price of sugar are IN full swing
and on the, Pacific coast are held re-
sponsible for a slump in the price at
Wholesale. The movement Of the
housewives, however, has been coun
of Gamers and confectioners, who are
taking steps to protect themselves
against necessity Of covering their re-
quirements at even higher quotations.
The slump in the demand for cotton
cloths was reflected today in the de-
termination of the Flint mills at Fall
River to restrict operations to four
days a week. Other factories are ex-
pected to follow this example.
$11,50O,OOO in New Building.
ATLANTA. Ga, May Especially
Building projects actually begun here
since January l call for the expend-
iture of S11.500,O00, a record for the
length of time involved. Prices of
materials are fairly stationary. but
the labor shortage in the building
trades Is becoming more pronounced
and contractors bidding for workmen
have raised wages about 90 per cent
since January l.
Wage Reductions Unlikely.
ST. PAUL. May 1 (SpeciaD Lead
ing Twin Cities manufacturers assert
ed today that wage reductions in this
ruling of the Supreme Court of the
United States that the minimum
wage law of the District of Columbia
was unconstitutional, and in spite Of
any effect this decision might have
on the Minnesota statute.
Spring Sales Up rs Per Cent.
PITTSBURGH. Pa, May (Spe-
ciaD.-Reports just issued show an
increase in department store sales
for this last month of over 25 per
cent above the same month last year
AS a result of increases in wages
In the district merchants anticipate
record sales by the first of next
month.
lCoryright. 1891
~ y--~