Evening star., 1934-09-08
S548,1OD AUGUST
RECORD OF REPAIR
OPERATIONS |ND.C c.
$4O0, 900 Gain Over $751;
075 of Last Year Due
to Star Contest.
JULY MARK $125,0O0
INCREASE OVER 1888
Five-Month Showing of 81, $780,
140 Almost Twice as Great as
That of Previous Period.

Permits issued for repairs to prop
erty in the Capital during August
reveal that the modernization and
improvement educational campaign
4naugurated by The Stars 81 900 Bet
ter Homes Contest and now being
carried on under the Federal Housing
Administration has borne fruit.
Permits issued during August for
repairs totaled $548, 100 in value. as
compared with $167,075 for August
one year ago-an increase of almost
100000. The August, 1884, figure
even tops that for the month pre-
ceding it, when permits for $685., 100
worth of repair work were issued.
The July figure surpassed that for
July, 1888, by almost $l25,000, and
was almost $150,000 above the June
total
Permits for repairs to real property
in the past five months represent al
most twice as much money as those
for the corresponding five months last
year. In April, May, June, July and
August, 1888, permits were granted
for repairs worth $834,175. Permits
granted during the same five months
this year for repair work have totaled
$3.50, 0,140.
Increases Are Steady.
The steadily increasing figures
demonstrate without explanation the
extent to which property owners are
turning their attention toward reno
walton, modernization and improve
ment of their holdings.
Although The Stars contest closes
one week from today, the campaign
which it started to make the city and
suburban areas "improvement-con-
scious," is being carried on by COM
mittee of civic-minded citizens headed
by Thomas P. Littlepage and operat-
ing under sponsorship of the Federal
Housing Administration.
1t Is expected the steady increase
in repair permits, begun almost simul-
taneously with the opening of The
Stars campaign to improve housing
in the District, will continue as the
local campaign gets under way.
A week still remains during which
home owners who have made repairs
during the Summer may make their
entries in The Stars contest. Entry
blanks still are available at The Star
office, and the Better Homes Contest
editor is ready to give any infor-
nation sought on the competition.
Cash prizes totaling $1,000 have
been offered for repairs in the contest.
There are two classes, one for i'm
provements to homes valued at
$4,000 and less and one for homes
valued above this figure. In each
class q first prize of $3.50, second, 500,
and third, $50, will be given. Four
honorable mention prizes of SIS each
also are offered in each class.
In addition to these, the Washing
ton Board of Trade has offered prize
of 500 for outstanding landscaping
improvement, and another $100 is to
be given the citizens association whose
members show the greatest interest
measured in entries to the contest.
F. III. A. Loan Plan Drive.
The Washington campaign to "sell"
the home improvement loan idea of
the F. H. A. to the District is getting
under way, with heads of subcommit-
tees to be named at meeting of the
Executive Committee Tuesday after
noon.
1t is planned by the committee to
carry the educational program to the
homes in the city through house-to-
house canvass, which in many phases
will compare with the Liberty Loan
drives of wartime
The local campaign is set up as a
model for the drives of a similar ma
ture being carried on in every city in
Continued on Page 2, Column 2)