Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-26

form work group. Although there are
only nine such Arms reporting, they
show the highest yearly average of en-
ployment for any group of firms en-
gagged in specialized trades included in
this tabulation. The maximum peak
in this line of activity occurring in
May, when the number of men en-
ployed was from Is to % per cent
greater than for the adjacent month
on either side, indicated sudden and
only temporary squirt Of activity on the
part of reporting firms The second
and lower peak, which occurred in Oc-
tober, appears to have been more regu-
lar In character since the number of
workmen employed on october Is was
only from / to 8 per cent higher than
during the two adjacent months. This
exceptional mid-Spring activity to have
been shared between two Of the princi-
pal reporting concreting firms. one of
which showed a temporary decline, fol-
lowed by renewed activity in the late
Summer and early Fall, while the other
showed continued falling of OF en-
ployment from the May peak to the end
of the year.
Subcontractors engaged In masonry
and stone work are third in Importance,
If measured by the average number Of
workmen employed during the year.
Employment In these trades started
from a comparatively low point in
January and February, followed by sharp
increases during the succeeding months
until a peak of more than 900 workmen
employed was reached in July This
high level was fairly well maintained in
August, but q distinct decline occurred
in September and October, with slight
recovery In November. A sharp down.
ward trend to the end of the year still
left the average number on pay roll in
December more than twice as great as
at the beginning of the year. The gen.
eral trend In these two trades followed
somewhat closely the average for gen.
eral building contractors as whole.
RemOdeling Trend Shown.
The trend of activity among the
painting, decorating and plastering SUBJ
contracting firms revealed by their en-
ployment figures turns an interesting
sidelight on the repair and remodeling
phases of the construction industry.
Activity in these lines was at low ebb
during the first three months of the
year, rising to q slightly higher level
from April to July, and increasing more
sharply in August and September with
a gradual easing of from that time to
the end Of the year. The sharp increase
in employment from August is to Sep
tember is reflects the well known fact
that the major part Of painting and re-
decorating Of apartments and houses
takes place almost universally at this
time Of the year just preceding the es-
tablished releasing period, which dates
from October /.
The trend of employment of skilled
and unskilled labor by firms engaged in
excavating presents an interesting con-
trast to that of the. other subcontract-
ing groups. AS would naturally be ex-
pected. because of the nature of the
work, the peaks of activity In this line
tend to precede the high levels in other
lines. The figures for four excavating
firms included in the preliminary tabu-
lation show that . minor peak of ac-
tivity occurred in March, while the
highest point during the year was
reached in July, followed by rather
sharp decline to the end of the year,
when the number on pay roll was only
two-thirds as great as during January
and February.