Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-22
D. c. CONSTRUCTION
|. WORK IN 1929 SET
AT S6O,S5O,0(O
Preliminary Report Is Made
by DR.. Morehouse of u. S.
Census Bureau.
SURVEY SHOWS TENTED
VALUES OF 227 FIRMS
Outside Concerns Also Build Here,
While Capital Companies Do
Work Elsewhere.

! formed services valued at S60,850, 900,
according to a preliminary report today
by DR.. Alanson D. Morehouse, chief,
construction section, Census OF Distri-
button Of the United States Bureau OF
I the Census.
The preliminary report shows that
| the total value of work done direct
for owners by general contractors and
operative builders was $45 ,497 000 while
| work done by subcontractorS for own
ers amounted to $l5,353,000.
1T should be remembered in this
| connection" the report states, that
work done by District firms includes
all their construction during the year
| and is not limited to that done within
| the District, end also that all construc-
ticn work in the District last year was
not done by local contractors. The
| figures show that of the s57,0000O0
worth of construction done in the Dis
| trict last year, S37 100000 was done by
! District contractors. The total District
| construction includes Federal Govern
ment projects amounting to about Sl5,-
| 100000. of which little more than
! 100000 was done by local firms.
Subcontracting Outlined.
1.-THE amount of construction work
which was done under general contract
and work performed by either general
| or subcontrsctors directly for owners
/ should be considered as representing
| the actual total value of construction
work, since all work reported as having
been done under subcontract is pre-
sumed to be included in the schedules
| of the general contracting firms for
which such work was done. This gen.
eral rule may not be found to apply
| in each individual case, because of the
| fact that reports have been received
only from those firms which did at
! least a $4,000 business during 1929.
| Thus, the part of the work subiet by
reporting general contractors which
| was done by subcontractors falling be-
| low this minimum classification will not
| be included in the total value of sub
contract work performed; or, on the
other hand, a complete report may be
| included in the tabulation for a large
| subcontracting firm whose work may
| consist of a great number OF compare
| lively small jobs performed in part for
| general contractors who did less than
S25, 900 worth Of business.
The figures show that Of the $l6,-
256,000 worth of work done by opera
| tive builders during 1929 more was done
under subcontract. This results pri-
marily from the fact that operative
| builders are themselves owners acting
| in the additional capacity OF general
contractors. For general building con-
tractors the amount Of work done I'M
der subcontract also appears negligible
in comparison with the total volume OF
their years business, but the subcon-
tract work of general highway and street
contractors amounts to about per cent
of their total construction work.
Figures Vary by Class.
1.-THE greater part Of construction
done by contractors engaged in spe-
ciaIized trades was handled under sub
contract. Out of 1913 firms CT this class,
from whom complete schedules were re-
ceived. only about l6 per cent of their
business was reported as being done d.
rectly for the owners. There is con-
siderable variation among the different
classes of subcontractors, however, III
the proportion of work done under sub
contractors or directly for owners;
plumbing contractors for example, re-
port between 20 and IS per cent Of
their work directly for owners, whereas
contractors engaged in electrical and
| elevator installation did about 81 per
cent of their work under subcontract.
I'm the long run, it is estimated that
balance will be established between
the total value of specialized work per-
formed by subcontractors and the total
value of such work let by general con-
tractors. This. however, will not always
be found to be the case in reports of
individual cities, or possibly even OF
States or larger areas, owing to the fact
that subcontract work let in given To-
cality may be performed by and re-
ported on the schedules of firms located
in other cities or States. In the pre-
liminary summary of construction sta
tistics for the District Of Columbia,
however there is a suggestion of this
relationship in the fairly close connec-
ton between the value of Subcontract
work let by general building contractors
Sl6287 900. and the total amount OF
work reported by local construction
firms as having been done by them
under subcontract, 1878 900.
Subcontracting Itemized.
"In addition to the s16,O0O.0O0 worth
. Of subcontract work let by building
contractors. however, S7,000,000 worth
: was reported as having been sublet by
operative builders, and S500,00G worth
! of work was also reported as again sub
let by subcontractors themselves. This
,, latter item is possibly duplicated to e
considerable extent in the total value
Of subcontract work reported and may
therefore be disregarded. AS a partial
balance against the additional amount
Of S7,000,000 worth of subcontract work
let by operative builders, work valued
at about S2,500,000 was reported or
schedules Of few Of the principal firm;
! outside the District of Columbia As
having been done under subcontract
/, within the District during 1929. This
leaves about $4,000, 900 worth. of SUBJ
contract work let for which no definite
statistics arc at present available, but
which may be more fully accounted fol
when complete returns have been re-
| ceiyed
THE total value of subcontract WORK
performed by local subcontractors dur
ing 1929 was S15,175,000, distributed
: among the various trade groups as
follows:
Per Cent
= Plumbing ola
|: Masonry and stone work. ... ia
= Concreting and concrete form
work Observation-Disclosures. 16.5
Electrical and elevator construc-
ton ................... 1913
|, Marble and thing ........ Ills
/. Painting, decorating and plaster
ing SO
Sheet metal and roofing 49,. ga
: EXcaVatlnB 40
: Heating and piping ............ 40
Labor Gets Is Per Cent.
"Of $162560Oo total value Of con.
struction work reported by 40 operative
builders, the summary of the major
items OF expense shows that about is
i per cent Of the cost went to labor en-