Evening star., 1939-09-16
Private Scars
Above Public
Building Here
2O-MiIIion-DoIIur
Excess Reported for
First Eight Months

The private building and engineer
Ing construction contracts awarded
throughout the Washington metro
politan area, during the first eight
months, topped the public contracts
with a huge margin of about 20
millions of dollars. The monthly
summary prepared by Henry A.
Johns, Washington manager OF
Dodge Reports, emphasizes that the
private total for the eight months
includes a substantial gain over the
corresponding 1888 record,
Washington metropolitan area
building, both residential and nom
residential. and engineering con-
struction for which contracts were
signed by private owners during the
January through August period
reached $56,l55 900. In the same
period the various governmental
agencies contracted for work valued
at $36, 5000.
The favorable position for pri-
vate building, in the Washington
metropolitan area, is heightened by
a comparison with the 1888 records.
Last year the contracts awarded
during the eight months amounted
to $33 ATT 900. At that time the
public contracts totaled Sl3,643,0OO
Possible Effects of War.
The Second World War may not
have a deterring effect on the prl-
vate construction industry in the
United States, according to the
Dodge Reports opinion. There is a
possibility that the industry will be
stimulated because of better pur-
chasing power resulting from the
increased business of the warning
nations. If the United States enters
the war, most of the construction
industry is likely to come under gov
ernmental control as it did in
1917-18.
Dodge Reports points out that
MANY factors which will influence
the status of the construction in
dustry during the war period pre-
Clude the possibility Of arriving at
an accurate forecast for the future.
The situation of the industry just
before and right after the outbreak
of the first World War does not offer
q good basis for such forecast.
A comparison of the first and Sec
ond war periods reveals that the
United States construction industry
was in a down trend during 1913-l5.
The present trend of the industry is
upward and has been for many
months
Contrasts With 1914. ..a-
At the halfway point of 1915 con-
struction turned upward with the
general business stimulus created by
the warning nations supply orders.
This continued through 1916. At
the close of 1916 and in the first
half of 1917 there was brief level
ing of construction activity. During
that period America entered the
war. The second half of 1917 and
the early months of 1918 brought
new peaks in American construction
to provide the additional war indus
tries. military and naval buildings
necessary for American participa-
ton. From February, 1918, there
were II months of declining activity,
during which the war ended.
The newspaper files of 1914 show
very little advance notice of the
then forthcoming war. Two daya
before the outbreak events which
were leading directly to the war
declarations were given space of
secondary Importance. AS a result
a strong shock accompanied the
first stories of actual hostilities. A
long, tense reaction by business
followed. Contrasted with that. the
second World War, long heralded,
appears to have relieved the tension
In most quarters.
Dodge Reports concludes with the
comment that while American in
dustrial facilities include provisions
for enlargement to take care of war
orders, they are proportionately less
than in 1914.