Evening star., 1937-03-22
BUILDING GAINS
WATCHED CLOSELY
Hopes for Further Drop in
JobIess Hinge on Con-
StruCtion.
BY ]. G. DONLEY.
pecial DSpatch to The Star.

NEW YORK, March 22.-The sea-
son is at hand when the construction
industry enters its more active stage
after the Winter Information. Nova
days of course, with concrete mixtures
which ca nbe poured in Subzero
temperatures, there is not as much
slowing down in the cold season as
there used to be in the old days. But
the Spring still brings a forward surge
of building operations.
Building operations this year will
be watched very closely by all OBJ
servers of the business trend, because
in continued expansion lies the great
est hope of making further large
dent in the number of unemployed.
The factory end of the heavy, or So
called capital goods" industries has
already staged sufficient recovery to
bring it back to levels comparable
with 1929 and 1880. But building
construction, which, along with capi-
tai goods, has been responsible for the
bulk of unemployment, has not come
up to expectations.
5,5O0,0U0 Dependent.
About 5,500,000 workers were di-
rectly or indirectly dependent upon the
building industry in 1880, according
to the census figures for that year. Of
that number, 3,500000 we're employed
directly, while an additional 100000
were engaged in the manufacture and
distribution of products used in con-
Struction.
Complete figures on building permits
for the full years 1886 and 1885, re-
Gently compiled by the Department
OF Labor from reports covering 824
cities for the two years, reveal the
vast scope of building operations even
at a time when they were depressed
in comparison with the boom peaks
OF the past. The total for all types
OF construction showed a gain of
nearly 81 per cent over 1885. Resi-
dental construction showed the larg-
est percentage gain, with an advance
of nearly l13 per cent over the pre-
vlouS year. Non-reSidential conStruc-
ton increased 34.4 per cent.
In dollars, non-reSidential construc-
tion permits amounted to more than
tWo-thirds of the residential volume,
and about One-third of the total for
all construction. Additions, altera-
tlons and repairs" amounted to nearly
S3OO,000 900, which was a little less
than half the new residential con-
struction, and compares with the all
construction total of 1,352,979, ,6O6.
Hotel Permits Jump.
1t is interesting to note that 1886
showed gain of 1888 per cent in the
number of new hotels for which build
ing permits were filed. indicating that
that industry has definitely pulled out
of its serious slump. Permits were
issued for 33 new hotels last year,
against only 13 in 1885.
New amusement buildings
motion picture theaters - accounted
for 1874 permits, against STA in 1885,
and involved a larger percentage in
crease in the dollar investment than
in Numbers. Other interesting COM
parsons show 545 churches, against
491; 1922 factories and workshops,
against l,611; 843 public garages,
against SOS, and 9,120 stores and
warehouses, against 7,011 in the pre-
vious year. Only three classifcations
under mon residential buildings"
showed decreases - service stations.
with 1923 in 1886 as compared with
1858 in 1885; public buildings, with
total of 437, against 451. and stables
and barns with 482, against 532.