Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-19
BUILDING CITED
AS BIG FACTOR
Industry Contributes 81 Per
Cent of Every Dollar to
Nations Wealth.

The Importance of the construction
| industry to the Nation today is empha-
sized by Arthur L. Smith, president of
the Builders and Manufacturers Ex-
change, in an article included in the
handbook to be issued Monday by the
| Washington Chamber of Commerce in
connection with its-f1fth annual indus
trial exposition, which will be held next
week at the Washington Auditorium.
Th1rty-one cents out Of every dollar
of the Nations wealth is contributed by
the construction industry, he states
1t Is not difficult, therefore, he adds, to
show that this industry which builds
homes, offices and business buildings,
churches, theaters, hotels, public schools,
| Government buildings and every other
type OF structure is one that occupies
an outstanding position in the business
J life of the American city.
Stresses Importance.
| Mr.. Smith continues:
THE Importance of the building in
dustry as one of the dominating fac
tors in the business field has become
increasingly apparent since the World
| War. During this period the industry
has become nationally as well as locally
| self conscious, 1t has strengthened its
| national association, located here in
Washington; it has increased the num-
Der of local builders exchanges, and it
| has extended its contacts with other
public and private agencies which are
concerned with the prosperity and eff
cheney OF the construction industry.
Most notable of these latter contacts
is that established with the Department
OF Commerce. Through our perfected
national organization we have been able
to cooperate with this important fed
eral agency in nationwide efforts to
decrease building costs while raising
building standards to still higher levels.
Through these efforts building materials
are being standardized, waste In con-
struction Is being reduced and improve
ments in methods are affording in
creased comforts and conveniences in
the completed building.
The builders of Washington have not
been Slow to accept this challenge to
greater service. They have done their
part in connection with nationally
organized efforts and they have applied
the principles thus developed in the
conduct of purely local undertakings
Washington builders, for example, have
aided in the perfecting of the District
building code and in the conduct of
Investigations to determine the causes of
building failures. They have CO.
operated also in the development Of the
local coming system.
200 Firms Here.
There are In Washington perhaps
200 leading firms concerned with con-
struction and they construct each year
building projects which total somewhere
around $50,000,000. This amount is
equal to about half of the total value
OF all industrial products manufactured
in the District of Columbia. The con-
struction group of Washington are
organized in the Builders and Manu-
facturers' Exchange, which since its
creating in 1910 has worked to promote
the interests of local builders and to
enable them to better serve the public.
This organization furnishes the ma
chinery by means of which the purposes
are carried out in this city. The ex-