Evening star., 1936-07-26
C. OF c. REPORTS
BUSINESS VOLUME
IS BEST SINCE 1929
Employment and Production
Gains ''PuIIing In"
Construction.
EXPORTS AND IMPORTS
SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER
Several Million Jobs Assured
With Government Encourage.
ment and Cooperation.

Fortifying itself with solid figures,
the United States Chamber of Com
merce, a representative of the Ma
tion's business, led other agencies yes
terday in a roundup presentation OF
the most optimistic report on business
since the depression began.
Physical volume Of business, the
chamber predicted, would be the best
this year since 1929. In addition to
the upturn in employment as well as
production in the manufacturing in
dustries, the ground swell OF recovery
is beginning to pull the economically
important but tardy construction in
dustry into the upturn. according to
the chamber.
In the movement Of goods through
the channels of transportation, in the
record of foreign trade, both exports
and imports; in consumption of elec-
trio energy, in the expenditures OF con-
sumers and in the freer resort to the
money market for new capital, the
indices of substantial improvement are
recorded.
Answering the challenge Of Presi-
dent Roosevelt to private industry to
supply jobs. a report by the chamber
is in course of preparation. 1t Is ex-
pected to show the potentiality for
several million jobs If Government en-
couragement of and cooperation with
business is forthcoming, and restric-
tions and threats are checked. At
tempting to stimulate employment at
once as well as to study simultane-
ously the future possibilities for work,
more than 500 business organizations
are cooperating in the chamber S
survey program, it was disclosed.
Decided Increase" Shown.
Bolstering the optimistic economic
picture. Miss Frances Perkins, Secre-
tary of Labor, made public report
by Isador Lubin. commissioner OF
labor statistics, showing "a decided
increase" in building activity in June.
Value of building permits was "a per
cent greater than in May. For the
first six months of this year the con-
struction total of $4,000 900 repre-
sented an increase Of rs per cent over
the corresponding period in 1885.
Lubin said the June increase was
especially significant" since in five
of the last seven years building per-
init valuations had been lower in June
than in May. Comparing June this
year with the same month year ago,
Mr.. Lubin found a gain of 142 per
cent in residential buildings, 81 per
cent in non-residential buildings and
So per cent in additions ad repairs.
The Departmet Of Commerce in its
weekly assessment of the business sit
uation reported maintenance Of steel
mill production at "the best levels of
the recovery period, with q recent
tendency to increase"
June was the fourth consecutive
month";" 'it said, Gin which employ
ment gains were recorded for the
manufacturing and -manufactur-
ing industries surveyed regularly by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fac
tory employment showed a contra
seasonal gain over May of o. pei
cent, which lifted the bureaus index
to 86 per cent of the 1923-1925 aver
age, the highest figure reported since
October, 1890"
The report OF the United States
Chamber of Commerce and the two
Government agencies yesterday fol-
lowed upon a prophecy by the Amer
ican Federation of Labor Friday that
a stronger Fall pickup than had been
anticipated was being indicated now
1t said observers were forecasting "a
(See BUSINESS, Page A-3)