Evening star., 1926-10-08
CONSTRUCT|0NSETS
NEW RECORD HERE
Total of $53,182,900 for
Nine Months Is $750,000
Ahead of Previous Mark.

The first nine months Of this year
show that the per capita expenditure
Of the residents of the National Cap
ital for new construction amounts to
more than 500. This sets a new rec
ord in the building industry Of Wash
ington and one that only g. few OF
the great industrial centers or the
country can surpass.
An examination Of the records or
the building inspectors office and
Of the figures Of the Operative Build
ders' Association, together with the
present estimation OF the population
of Washington at $4,000, shows that
the Districts per capita expenditure
for new construction is SIS per cent
greater than the per capita outlay OF
the entire population of the Unlted
States for the nine months per1od.
Approximately $4,000, 100000 In new
buildings was spent throughout the
country in the last nine months.
An examination of the figures COM
piled by the Bureau of Labor Stats
tics of the Department OF Labor
shows that of the total new building
in Washington during the first SIX
months there was per capita ex:
penditure of $56.41 for residential
construction. This average was ap-
proximately maintained during the
last three months, and while Wash
ineton stands about seventh in the
country in building construction of all
types. It ranks fourth in per capita
expenditure for residential construc-
tion and is exceeded only by Yonkers,
N. Y; Los Angeles and New York
City.
Total, $53,182.900.
From January / to September 30
S53.1S2,90O has been expended IN new
construction in the District. This Is
more than $750,000 ahead Of the same
neriod during the record year 1925,
hut there are so many big projects
about TO be started that there Is no
question that the total for this year
will far exceed 1925 and reach close
to $4,000, 900. None Of these figures
include public work or Federal prof.
ects which soon will place Washing
ton in the position of second or third
in the construction industry OF the
Nation.
One of the features of building here
this wear is the decline Of house con.
struction by about 26 per cent. and
the increase in apartment house con-
struction by 20 per cent. So far the
total amount of residential construc-
ton is 2.03 per cent ahead of last year.
Homes for 10000.
Housing accommodations for 10000
nersons have been erected during the
mast nine months. There have been
842 houses built during that period,
compared with 1929 last year. a de-
cline of 1,087 houses. On the other
hand. 3.172 apartment units have
heen built this year, compared with
600 vast year, an increase OF 1,0R.
None of these figures take into con-
sideration the vast development in
the nearby Maryland and Virginia
suburbs Of the National Capital,
where construction has been carried
on at a rapid pace.
The fact that the National Capital
ref1ects the tendencies of the Nation
in almost every respect Is again evil
denced by the fact that just as house
construction in Washington decreased
and apartment house construction in
creased, the same condition was re-
f1ected in 68 other cities throughout
the country.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics
shows that for the first six months of
this wear residential construction in
the United States provided for 207 ,231
families. Examination of these flg-
ures with local records shows that in
the same period Washington provided
4.22 per cent Of the total amount of
residential construction in the United
States.