Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-24
BUILDING PROMISES
! TO TIE 1925 WORK.
June Squirt May Mean More
Intensive Activity Than
Ever Known Before.

From reports of building permits is
sued and plans filed in 462 cities for
the first half of the current year II is
evident that building activities gener-
ally throughout the country will pro-
coed during the rest of the year on a
basis not greatly at variance from
conditions that prevailed throughout
the year 1925.
The totals from these cities, as re-
ported to S. w. Straus & Co, showed
building permits issued of $2,2lS,0O2.-
IFS compared with s2,343, sos. 0S9 for
the first half of 1925. a loss of | per
cent.
Against this slight falling off, the
figures for June revealed a rather sur
prising volume. Permits issued in the
462 cities were $4l3, 593,41 compared
with 1884, 321, 1913 last June, gain of
712 per cent The significance of the
figures lies in the fact, however, that
they represent a gain over May this
year of substantially per cent, which
Is abnormal.
Decline i'm May Not Unusual.
Normally. there is a rather sharp
decline between May and June, some
times running as high as 10 per cent.
Last year. when building activities
were proceeding with unprecedented
momentum. June permits were Just
about equal to those of May. Whether
this June squirt marks the beginning
of a period of even more intensive
building activity than has ever before
been experienced in the United states
or whether the June reports represent
a considerable volume of accumulated
projects that were deferred from the
Spring months, due to unfavorable
weather conditions, cannot now be
determined
An important feature of the semi
annual review is the further gain of
construction work throughout the IL
Southern States, Notwithstanding the
spectacular activities that have been
in progress there for the last three
years. The 1Gt leading cities of the
South reported building activities for
the six months period &c per cent
greater than for the first half of last
year. This is. indeed an impressive
showing in view of the per cent loss
for the country as a whole during the
same period. The same Southern
cities gained IL per cent in June COM
pared with the same month last year.
South Sets New Records
The leading cities of Florida. Texas
and North Carolina submitted reports
indicative of record breaking activities.
Elsewhere in the South the pickup
from last year was unusual. Atlanta.
for example, reported> volume of
building permits during the first half
of the year almost twice as large as
during the first six months of 1925.
Substantial gains were also shown I'm
Birmingham. Memphis, New Orleans
and Knoxville.
New York continued to lead all the
cities OF the country by wide mar
gin. Plans filed in the Ave boroughs
for the half year were well above the
half billion dollar mark, and were
about II per cent ahead of the first
half of 1925. New York's gain in
June was 1872 per cent.
Losses were shown in most of the
other ma jor cities for the half year
OF the 25 leading building cities of the
country those showing gains for the
half year were New York. Detroit, San
Francisco, Newark, n. j.. Milwaukee,
Mount Vernon, n. Y: Houston, Yon-
kerS, n. Y, and Albany. Those report
ing gains for June compared with the
same month year ago We're New
York, Detroit. Philadelphia, San
Francisco. Milwaukee, Seattle, Yon-
kers and Albany.
Twelve Leading States.
The IL States. based on reports of
the half year, which led in building
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