Evening star., 1936-08-09
NEW HOMES TOTAL
FAR BELOW NEEDS,
SURVEY REVEALS
Shortage Likely to Become
Acute Unless Upturn in
Building Widens.
BY J. G. DONLEY.
al Dispatch to Tie Star.

1lSpdlGIl W 1IAc OtdI
NEW YORK, August 8.-New resi-
Dental construction, although sharply
on the increase, is falling far short of
the country's needs. Unless the pace
is speeded up the shortage is likely
to become acute before many months
have paSsed-provided, of course,
that the process of "undoubling" fam
lilies goes on, while the marriage rate
points upward and the public's pur-
chasing power keeps on swelling.
That is the conclusion reached by
]. R. Ridgway president of the In
vestors Syndicate of Minneapolis,
from a Nationwide survey that COM
pany has just completed as prelude
to real estate investment program.
Despite the rise in home-building
in the latter part Of 1885 and this
year to date" Mr.. Ridgway tells the
writer, many parts of the country
have not shared in the increased sup
ply of housing And such situations
are aggravated by large accumulated
deficiencies since 1880. Our survey
of 80 cities, located in Al States and
the District of Columbia, reveals that
in the f1ve-year period-1931 to 1885,
inclusive-approxim 961 ,548 per-
sons were provided with new housing.
Distributed Unevenly.
But construction was unevenly dis
tributed over the years. During 1881,
for example, more than AZ per cent OF
the five-year total of new residential
construction was accounted for, while
in 1884 only little more than 9 per
cent is shown. Last year the pace
quickened, with 1885 turning in nearly
25 per cent of the five-year total.
Those percentages are on the basis OF
the number of persons for which new
housing was provided. the 1881 figure
being 408,248 persons, with only 3d.
896 in 1894 and 237896 in 1885.
"On the same basis there is wide
variation in the number of persons
provided with new housing in dif-
ferent sections of the country. For
the five-year period, for instance, the
Middle Atlantic district accounted
for nearly 40 per cent of the Nations
total.
"The Pacific States contributed
little more than Is per cent. With
a thinly spread population, the per-
centage in the mountain States was
only II"
Cities Compared.
Local conditions, of course, AFFECT
home building and the situation is
hardly the same in any two cities. II
is interesting to pick handful OF
cities at random and compare condl-
tions as brought out in the survey
directed by Mr.. Ridgway.
Baltimore provided only a little
more than AZ per cent of its esti-
mated increased population with new
housing in the five years prior to
1896. During the same five-year
period Buffalo supplied somewhat
over 81 per cent Of increased popu-
lation; Dallas, about SIS per cent;
Los Angeles, 99.71 per cent, or prac-
tically new accommodations for every
new citizen; Newark, N. j., less than
Al per cent; Salt Lake City, nearly
81 per cent; Washington, D. c.,
little more than 81 per cent. and
Worcester, Mass, nearly Sc per cent.
Going back to the year before the
five-year period-1930-which some
national builders describe as "nor-
NAL" and comparing building permits
filed for new homes in that year with
the total for the next five years, we
arrive at a basis suggestive of de-
ferred requirements. Baltimore's build
ing permits in 1880, for instance, were
about 81 per cent of the dollar value
of those filed during the next five
years.
Washington Listed.
For other leading cities the per-
centages are about as follows: Buff
falo, rs; Cincinnati, So; Dallas, IS;
Los Angeles, 81; Newark, N. j., 81;
Oakland, Calf, 81; Omaha, "a; Provi-
dence, 80; Salt Lake City. SO; Wash
ington, D. c., 90; Worcester, so.
'The difference between smaller
towns as to new housing and the
value of permits are quite as great
as the variations between some of
the larger cities for which I have
given you statistics" says Mr.. Ridg-
way. Like the larger cities, these
towns and communities cannot be
measured by set of statistical tables,
for local conditions are always vital
in real estate. But I believe our fig
ures reveal a real shortage and the
imminence of an insistent demand
for new homes
(Copyright 1861