Evening star., 1924-01-19
JANUARY BUILDING
IS SHEAW|EST EVER
Astonishing Activity Looked
for in Spring-Recent Big
Gains Compared.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. January 19.-More
building construction is going on in
the United States today than in any
previous January in history. This Is
due in part to the open weather
which has prevailed quite generally.
but the main factors have been the
comparative stability of material and
labor costs and confidence of build
ers. bankers and investors in the
business prospects of 1924.
The last three months of 1928
showed an average gain over the pre-
viou# year of about 25 per cent. The
increase was 80 per cent for October
and November and Is per cent for
December The permits issued SO far
this month indicate that this rate of
Improvement Is being fully main
tained. Thee increases in activity
are measured against a period which
was the greatest building year this
country has ever known.
With these facts in mind, real estate
and construction men feel that the
spring VIII show Il volume of building
which will be astonishing. At present
the contraction work Is largely con-
fined to the cities. but there are in
dicationS when the weather settles
that smaller towns and rural districts
Will produce their share of activity.
Investigation of housing conditions
In the cities indicates that the short
age cannot be relieved for several
years, even at the present rate OF
constructions Industrial construction
also is increasing 1t is known that
soores of industries are expanding
plant capacities and building new
mills and factories
In suite of this fact however. pro-
duccrs and dealers in materials have
exercised the utmost care not TO al
low prices to run away from them.
They have guarded carefully against
advances which might check the de-
n;and, and some few building mate
rials have even shown price declines. ,
This. however. is regarded as usual
at this season of the year. Production
Of materials has continued brisk.
Brick and cement plants have been
kept in active operation. The lumber
mills in some sections are running
far above eight-hour normal capacity
and the steel plants are well occupied.
although not producing at the rate
OF the 1928 peak.
Foreign Bricks Cheaper.
Some German and Holland brick is
coming into the port of New YORK.
where it is offered at's4 to IS under
the price of the products of the Hud-
son river kilns. However. the volume
of foreign brick is so small that these
shipments have been absorbed with
out visible effect on the market.
About half of the S5,50O,000 worth
Of building in 1928 was done In
twenty-five cities. but every section
of the country showed Improvement
over the previous year. These gains
ranged from Il per cent in the south
to IS per cent in the east. 80 per cent
in the central west and SO per cent in
the far west.
New York had the greatest volume
OF business, but showed an incr tease
Of only % per cent over 1922. while
Los Angeles led all other competi-
tors, with 65 per cent. st. Louis was
second. with 64: St. Paul third, with
so: milwaukee, fourth, with "a; Chi
cago fifth. with. As: Detroit sixth.
and Cleveland eighth, with 26. Ac-
cording to the r. w. Dodge Corpor-
alton reports. Philadelphia showed
q falling off of so per cent in build
ing in December. compared with De-
csmbcr. 1922. For the entire year
20 per cent.
Boom on I'm Detroit.
Construction men in Detroit de-
clare that faith in the immediate and
ultimate future Of the automobile
industry is shown by decision of
land owners there to proceed imme-
diately with construction of large
Office buildings Work will start at
once on three huge structures in the
heart of the city. Two will be
twenty stories in height and cost
s5,000.o00 each, while the third, q
club and Office building, will rise
rhirty-two stories and will cost
s..500,00O
The southern states are spending
great sums in construction Nine
teen hotels costing over s10OO.0OO
each have been put up in the last
year and others are in course of con-
struction or planned.