Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-10
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

A very brief letter from q reader.
signed Justice" in The Star of No
vember 6, 1879, throws q
Telephone light upon the cost of
CharSes' washington nifty years
ago: THE Fire Board met last night
and the committee on telephones re-
ported propositions from both companies
offering instruments at $40 per annum.
Please permit US to inquire why these
companies will not furnish the inStru-
ments at that price to subscribers who
now pay $3.50 per quarter, in advance.
Search Of the columns Of following
issues does not disclose any suggested
solution of this puzzle.
In The Star Of November 8, 1879, Is
the following discussion Of the real es-
Building Boom the ne Capital ptaI'1 Which, h.
in Washington. Yeais fh snt range r Of
prices of building materials half a Gen.
fury ago:
cit has been pointed out in The Star
for the past year that an activity in real
estate in washington was inevitable and
early, and all the indications now are in
the line Of the fulfillment of our predic-
tons The real estate brokers without
exception report the demand for good
houses, both to purchase and to rent, as
unprecedented; that at no time since
1872 has 1t been SO great. Rents are
advancing and desirable houses are
daily becoming more scarce. Landlords
are Yying with each other In modern
izing and otherwise improving their
houses to meet the demand. 1t Is al
most impossible to walk O square in the
more desirable portions OF the city
without encounteripg piles of brick,
mortar and other building material be-
ing used either in remodeling and re-
pairing houses now built or building
new. Builders say that at no time for
six years have they been so crowded
with work as at present.
"The improvements being made are
by no means conf1ne1 to residence
property, as q casual survey Of the prin-
cipal business StreetG-PennsylVania
avenue, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Fiji
tenth, F streets and New York
avenue-will show old stores are being
moderniZed and new ones erected that
are q credit and ornament to any COM
mercial city We think it safe to say
that the value of the improvements
during the past six months ana now in
course of erection is more than double
that of any two years in the last seven,
and We are glad to know that the char
acter of improvements now being made
Is much more substantial.
about a year ago we said to our
readers: Now Is the time to make i'm
provements; at no time within the past
twenty years has such an opportunity
offered Laborers were then plenty and
wages were at the lowest. Skilled me-
chanicS were walking our streets beg
ging for work at any price. Brick were
selling at $3.50 per thousand, lumber
at $l4 to SIS per thousand and all
kinds of building materials and SUP
plies at correSpondingly low prices. We
then predicted that such q condition OF
things could not continue; there must
be an advance from the then starvaz
ton prices Of labor and material. And
we advised those contemplating build
ing and all who had the money to avail
themselves Of the opportunity then Of
fered.
"How have these predictions been full
filled? Brick are now selling at $3.50
per thousand lumber at from Sl8 TO
$26 per thousand. Iron has advanced
80 per cent. Metals of all kinds are
from 90 to IS per cent higher: in fact,
all building material has very considera- !
bly, advanced In price. Mechanics and
laborers are in demand at enhanced
wages. The whole country, and espe- |
cially Washington, seems to have reused |
from the lethargic paralysis under |
which It has been for six years and Is |
beginning 70 assume an ante-panic ac- |
ttvity."