Evening star., 1938-10-29
BUILDING CLIMBS
IN THIRD QUARTER
Upswing Puts '38 Volume
Only Slightly Under That
of Year Ago.

A comparison OF building volume of
fthe major cities the first half of 1888
with the like 1887 period revealed q
sharp decline. says E. M. Craig. execu-
tive secretary of the National Associa-
tion OF Building Trades Employers.
Comparing the nine months of 1898
With the same 1887 period and keeping
abreast with the business upswing of
the last three months, the 1888 volume
has climbed to q level only slightly
behind that of q year ago.
The 1887 and 1888 comparable nine
month periods are taken from a re-
cent survey made by Robert D. Steele,
the-- association statistician, of 80
major cities and A States Building
activities of A States show q dollar
value Of $2,348,05 900 for the first
nine months of 1898. For the corre-
spending 1897 period it was S2,5l2.-
sl9,945. For 1886 it was $2,212 ,634 997
and in 1885 it was 81 ,285, 755, ,808. For
the 80 major cities the first nine
months Of 1888 show lat, ,768 permits,
with an estimated value of $557 ,250,-
lS6' In 1898 it was l53,l95 permits,
with an estimated value Of $579, ,284 SOC.
New York. Houston, Pittsburgh, In
|dianapols, Minneapolis. Seattle, ST.
Paul, Portland, Greg; Memphis. Nor
folk. Scranton, Dallas, Wheeling and
Elizabeth all report increases the first
nine months of 1898, compared to
year ago. New York showed the larg-
est increase. Houston says for the
January l to October 10, 1888, period
their building volume reached a total
Of s2O,532 ,645 and exceeded the entire
year OF 1887, which amounted to
slS,684O35.
New York Still Ahead.
New York is still the leader on dol
lar valuation. Los Angeles Is second
in financial value and first in issued
permits Detroit is third, Houston is
fourth, Washington is fifth and Chi
caeo is in sixth place, the same posi-
ton it held one year ago. In COM
putting Chicago, New York and Los
Angeles construction volume perhaps
tk4ke unknown facts should be eX-
planned. New York City figures en-
brace the five boroughs of New York
and their estimated volume is aside
from Federal State and city public
projects and such alteration work for
which a permit is not necessary, ac-
cording to Secretary w. G. Wheeler
Of the Building Trades Employers
Association of New York. The Los
Angeles Chamber of Commerce report
that their totals include only permits
issued within the corporate limits of
Los Angeles and the suburban towns
or hnincorporated areas are excluded.
All Federal permits are included. Per-
. nits for Chicago only take in the city
proper and other Cook County totals
are not shown. Federal work is
omitted from the Chicago figures, how
ever. if the Cook County volume were
added. Chicaeo's total thus far in
1898 would rise another $4,000, 900 or
more.
There were 1929 homes completed
or unfinished in 33 cities during the
flrse nine months of 1888. This is an
increase over the 1887 like period,
which chalked up 1871 homes. The
residential dollar value of these 1898
homes was estimated at $l3s,e7l,6l7,
compared to $132, ASS, $40 in 1887. Los
Angeles leads on dwellings with 6,952
units. Detroit is second with 4.3l3
and Minneapolis is third with 3,64O.
Florida Advancing Again.
The forecast of a number of cities is
that. despite the seasonal winter let
dnfn, the recent current upswing CT
home building activities will continue.
In Miami the largest mass production
OF low-cost dwellings ever undertaken
In Florida is under way, to be built at
the rate Of one every weekday. A
new high in Miami property values was
recently established when a reported
$4,000 front foot was paid for q
Flagler street site, on which one of
the largest department stores of the
South will be erected Kansas City
and Scranton say that doubling-up
conditions still are prevalent, while
olher cities report an leasing of" of
that condition.
Outside of Scranton, where the
hourly wages Of nine building trades
we're raised and the marble settlers and