The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-06-21
S.W.STRAUS CO.
REPORTS ON
BUILDING
Washingtoes One Of Sixteen
Cities Showing a Substan-
tiaI Increase in Permits

In the great mass Of cities and
towns throughout the country there
was decline in the volume of
building permits issued in May
as compared with the correspond
ing month in 1928. These losses.
however, were moro than made
up by the gains in several cities.
notably New York, according to
the national monthly building sur
veys Of s. w. Straus and Com
pany, just completed.
The 1913 cities and towns Gov
cred in this survey reported build
ing permits issued and plans filed
during the month amounting to
eSss.33f,S5:. compared with $685.
O66,667 for May last year, q gain
Of $24,So6,6S4. or 8 per, cent.
For the entire country outside
New York City the month devel-
oped prospective building activi-
ties of about equal volume with
those officially recorded in May,
1928, the S37 cities this year re-
porting 1857 .995,914, as against
$269,145,O7S in May, 1923.
Twenty-Five Report.
The twenty-five principal build
Ing cities reported official declare.
tions amounting to sos, 739. O66. az
compared with $180,433,7S5 In Nav.
1928, gain Of 16 per cent. The
gain over May, 1922, was 26 per
cent. However, these figures were
largely influenced by New York,
and If We eliminate the metropolis
from these calculations we find
that the twenty-four other cities
suffered combined loss of about
$4,000 over Nav. 1929. and
scored q gain Of $50 900, 900 over
May, 1922. Substantial gains were
reported in Chicago, San Fran
cisco, Washington, Seattle, Pitts.
burgh, Cincinnati, Dallas, New Or.
leans. Memphis. Toledo, Long Beach,
Calf; Cleveland. Baltimore, Hart.
ford and Newark.
In the twenty-five leading build.
ing cities, permits issued and plans
filed during the first five months
OF this year amounted to $1,13s,2S1,.
$39, compared with $1,027, ASS, 64o
1922.
In a general way the most pro.
Aounced indications Of the slowing
up processes in building activities
were revealed in the far western
States where n cities reported $39..
697,123 Of permits issued as com
pared with SAT ,926,301 in May, 1873.
Both in the south and central re.
g1ons, with 1877 cities and towns re-
porting, the total volume remained
substantially unchanged. In the
eastern States, where a survey of
"a cities was made, there was a
gain over May, 1923, Of $33,157,843,
or % per cent. Outside New York
City, the gain for the East, as be-
tween May. 1924, and May, 1928,
was 10 per cent.
SIOw-up Seen.
While there are unmistakabIe
signs Of a slowing up in building
operations in scores Of cities and
towns in all parts Of the country,
there has been no falling off in the
volume Of new plans filed with the
building departments Of the five
boroughs comprising Greater New
York. On the contrary, large gains
have continued to mount. For ex
ample, the volume of plans filed in
May, this year, was Ga per cent
greater than for May, 1928. and "a
per cent greater than for May, 1922.
Building plans filed in the five
boroughs for the first five months
this year were $492, 77O,101, as COM
pared with $S70,326,596 for the
same period last year, gain of
$122, 443,505 or SO per cent. Added
significance is attached to these
figures, the s. W. Straus and Com
pany survey points out, when we
consider that during the period
under review in 1923 there were
such tremendous construction ac-
tivtties that many groups and
agencies conducted an aggressive