Evening star., 1939-12-01
Washington Leads
Fifth District in
October Building
Area Total Largest
For Any Month Since
November, 1928
By the Associated Press.

.
RICHMOND, Va, Dec 1.-Build-
ing permits issued In 81 cities Of the
5th Federal reserve district during
October totaling $14, 1852 486 exceeded
in value those of any month since
November, 1923.
The Federal Reserve Bank Of
Richmond, which reported other In
dustrial gains that continued the
trend begun In September. said the
building permits issued in the first
10 months of 1899 amounted to
$105 1853, ,094 and represented an in
crease Of 43 per cent over the same
portion OF last year. In october last
year the 81 cities total was
So, 1886
Capital Is Leader.
Washington, with $3.50 ,995. was
the October, 1889, leader, followed by
Baltimore, with $2,479, 40; Rich
mond, with $295, ,708; Charlotte, with
$289, las, and Norfolk, with $2l7,13l.
Contracts awarded declined in
october in the district, embracing
Virginia, North and South Carolina,
West Virginia. Maryland and the
District Of Columbia, from $32 2,058,-
600 in September to $28,276,0o0. The
declining figure, which also was II
per cent below October, 1898, was
attributed largely to the seasonal
decline in highway contracts.
Because Of "unseasonally mild"
weather in October, the bank re-
ported department store sales showed
less than q normal rise over high
September sales, although they ex-
ceeded those in October last year
by 4 per cent. Retail and wholesale
trade also ran ahead of last year
and introduction of new model auto
mobiles sent new car registration
figures in October 80 per cent higher
than September and 7S per cent
above October, 1898.
Cotton textile mills consumed
more 800 bales-than
during any October on record; btu
minous coal mines increased PRO
duction notably; tobacco manufac-
turing was larger than in September
or October, 1898, and rayon mills
worked full time. which still wasn't
enough to keep their stocks Of yarn
from being further reduced.
Employment Expands.
Employment made further gains,
although at a slower rate than in
September, while pay rolls advanced
more than employment, partly be-
cause of the change on October "a
from a Is to a 80 cents an hour
minimum base pay under the Fair
Labor Standards Act.
Excellent crop harvesting and
marketing weather improved the
outlook of farmers, but tobacco mar
kets, which resumed selling in Oc-
tober, saw prices that were much
lower than year ago, though there
was a moderate rise during the
month. The prospective cotton yield
was estimated at 80 per cent above
the 1898 yield in the nth district,
and the price also is from s. to IS
a bale higher.
Increases in industrial activity
since September l called many
workers back to jobs, construction
held fully up to seasonal levels, re-
sumption of tobacco marketing re-
quired several hundred handlers and
warehouse employees, and increases
in base pay October "a under the
Fair Labor Standards Act raised the
purchasing power of many Of the
districts lowest paid industrial
workers." the bank report said. "The
weather has not caused any delay in
outside work, and therefore prac-
tically no seasonal recession IN en-
ployment has yet occurred"