Evening star., 1951-09-10
Construction Awards
In DC. Area in July
Gain 37% Over June
By Nelson M. Shepard

Construction contracts awarded
in Metropolitan Washington dur
ing July totaled $27,771, 900 or g.
per cent greater than the Junt
figure but were 28 per cent les
than July, 1850. according to ,
statement today by the F. w
Dodge Corp, construction new
and marketing specialists.
A similar situation was revealed
for the District. where the build.
ing trend was up 40 per cent ovel
June but was down Is per cen
from July a year ago. Compare.
tive figures for the first sever
months of this year, on the othel
hand, showed a much greater de.
cline in Washington than in tn,
combined area including, Mont.
gomery, Prince Georges, Arlington
and Fairfax Counties.
In Metropolitan Washington
the total for seven months of 1851
was $200.015, 900. only 8 per cent
lower than the comparative 1885,
period, E. H. Keefe, branch man.
ager, stated.
Heavy Construction Dips.
Non residential construction
contracts awarded amounted to
$5,890,000 in July, or 80 per cent
below June. Residential contracts
reached $13, ,585, 900, a jump of Is
per cent over the June figure, but
SIS per cent less than July a year
ago. Public and private works and
utilities, at $S,296, 900, were sub
stantially more than the June
total.
For the District the seven
months total was $40,093, 900, or
35 per cent less than the corre-
spending total a year ago. Nom
residential awards during July at
$2.195, 900 were 26 per cent more
than in June. The July awards
of residential contracts totaled
$894,000 3 per cent below June
and 86 per cent less than July last
year. Public and private works
and utilities were $2,758, 900, or
81 per cent higher than the June
figure.
Bank Loans Decline.
Despite a loan increase of $85
million by Fifth District Federal
Reserve member banks in the
first quarter to the highest point
on record, they declined $24 mill
lion In the second quarter and
showed the smallest half-year
percentage gain-3.1 per cent
since World War II, except for
the first half of 1949. This con-
dition was revealed in the Sep
tember review of the Federal Re-
serve Bank of Richmond.
Many factors contributed to
the decline in loans held by Fifth
District member banks. The
slackening loan volume after mid
April centered in business loans.
Commercial and industrial loans,
which showed a counter-seasonal
rise of $61 million in the first
quarter, declined $40 million
from April 9 to June 80, the
report stated. They were, how
ever. up $158 million, or 27.2 per
cent from a year earlier. II the
S32 million increase in single
payment loans to individuals Of
$4,000 and over is included, be-
ing largely business loans, the re-
port said about II per cent Of
the increase in total loans for
the one-year period was in busi-
ness loans.
Real estate loans continued toI
decline during the second quarter.
This SO million decline during the
first half of the year contrasts
sharply with the first half in
creases ranging from $40 million
to $50 million for all years since
World War I, with the exception
of 1949.
w. F. Kusch to Retire.
William F. Kusch. manager of
dining cars for the Southern Rail-
way System at Washington, will
retire Saturday after more than
% years of continuous service with
the Southern. He will be succeed
ed by Frederick c. Thomas, now
superintendent of dining cars,
with headquarters remaining at
Atlanta, Ga. Howard o. Noack,
assistant manager dining cars. will
be appointed superintendent, with
headquarters remaining at WASH
ington.
A native of Chicago, Mr.. KuschI
entered the railway service in 1907
as a clerk in the dining car de-
partment of the Chicago. Milwau-
kee and st. Paul Railway. He
rose to chief inspector and in Au-
gust, 1923 transferred to the
Southern System as manager Of
dining cars.
Samuel (Red's) Gordon of Reds
Kaiser-Frazer Sales & Service,
Washington, and Hubert H. Ar
bogast of Arbogast K-F Motors.
Fairfax, Va, have been named
among the national winners in
the auto company's recent big S"I
demonstration-saleS competition.
Each was presented with 5000
Presidents Award" wrist watches.
engraved with a congratulatory
message from Edgar F. Kaiser.
company president. The presen-
tation was made at a dealer meet
ing in Washington by N. o. Ek-l
1und, general sales manager Of
Kaiser Frazer Sales Corp.
Work is now under way on the
superstructure of the new $265, 900
Safeway store in Arlington, Va.
which. with parking lot for 100
cars, will cover city block. Com
pletion is scheduled for Janu-
ary l. The store faces the CO.
lumbia pike at South Wayne
street. Milton j. Prassas is the
architect and Victor BeauchampI
is the builder, the project being
under the supervision Of Dam
Pratt, Safeway branch manager.
LUTC Glasses Planned.
The Life Underwater Training