Evening star., 1936-05-23
BUILDING SURVEY
SHOWS APRIL GAIN
OVER 1885 FIGURE
Increase of 96.8 Per Cent
In New Home ConStruc-
tion Is Revealed.
WASHINGTON is FIFTH
AMONG NATIONS CITIES
Non Residential Operations Are
More Than so Per Cent Over
Last Year.

An increase of 968 per cent in
new residential construction and a
more than so per cent improvement
in non-residential building in April,
as compared with the corresponding
month of 1885, were announced today
by Secretary Perkins following COM
pletion of the Labor Department. s
monthly survey of building operations
in the principal cities of the country.
The report indicated that the total
value of permits issued in 1,471 cities
included in the survey last month was
10 per cent above the March level.
The improvement was shared by all
types of building. The value of home
construction permits increased ISIS
per cent, new non-residential building
2.5 per cent and the value of permits
for alterations, additions and repairs
to existing structures 124 per cent
over March.
Residential Building Gains.
There was S22 10000 more residen-
tial building in the country during
April than was registered during the
corresponding month of last year,
while the non-residential construction
increase was S13,300,000 Moderniza-
tion work showed an improvement Of
$5.0000 900, or 25 per cent.
Washington occupies fifth position
among the cities of the country in val
uation of April building. the report
showed. Permits were issued for 81
S25,l7l in all types of construction in
the District, and the figure was ex-
ceeded only in New York City, Los
Angeles, Detroit and Philadelphia.
Increase Is Cited.
There was an increase of 725 per
cent in the number of family-dwell-
ing units provided. comparing April,
1886, with the same month of 1885.
The data collected by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, include, in addition
to private construction. the number
and value of buildings for which con-
tracts were awarded by Federal and
State governments in the cities in
cluded in the report For April, 1886,
the value of public buildings amounted
to 81 1896, 600; for March, 1886, to S4,-
$4,000; and for April, 1885, to So
$4,000.
Permits were issued during April for
the followings important building prof.
ects: In Waltham, Mass, for a hos
pital building to cost 100000; in
Newark, N. j., for a public utility
building to cost S1,750.00O; in New
York City-in the Borough of the
Bronx for apartment houses to cost
nearly $1,300,000; and in Brooklyn for
apartment houses to cost nearly ST.
100000; in Philadelphia. for school
buildings to cost nearly $4,000, 600; in
Pittsburgh, for factory buildings to
cost nearly $1,O00,0OO; in Scranton,
Pa, for school building to cost over
$1,000, 600; in Chicago, for mercantile
buildings to cost over $250,000 and for
school buildings to cost nearly $780,
900; in Peoria, ILL.,, for warehouse
buildings to cost over 100000; in
Springfield, Ill, for an Office building
TO cost $1,100,000; in Rock Island,
Ill. for school building to cost over
S625 600; in Streator, ILL.,, for factory
buildings to cost $3.50, 900; in Washing
ton, for apartment houses to cost over
100000; in Louisville, for an institu-
tional building to cost nearly $3.50 900:
in Dallas, for store and mercantile
buildings to cost over 100000.