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Show - Cities Crowding Suburban firea Areas ; , Nearby Sites fire Are Occupied OccupiedAs OccupieAs As Construction Nears NearsRecord NearsRecord Record of 1920 . - WASHINGTONMany WASHINGTON -Many Many - Many AmerIcan AmerIcancltIes Americcities cltIes are spreading Into suburban suburbanareas suburbareas areas as a result of the building buildingboom bulldlboom boom Robert J Myers assIstant assIstantcommissIoner assists commissioner of the bureau bureaulabor of oflabor labor statistics statishcs concludes after afteranalysis an ananalysis analysis of 1947 construction sta statIstIcs stitistlcsMore tIstIcs tIstIcsMore More new dwellings dwe11mgs are being beingconstructed beta constructed than at any time since sincethe sln slnthe < the great boom of 1920 although In ; I Ithe the first tirst six months of this year yes ! fewer permits were issued for new newd ne d dwellings e1hngs Inside city limits hmits or zoned zonedareas zone areas than in the first six months monthsin monti in 1946 This is " why "hy hy national buili bulld bullding builiing ing figures based solely on building buildingpermits , permits may give an impressic Impression Impressionthat that construction constructlon is declining declliung Non Zoned Zoncd Area Gains Construction m the non . zoned zonedareas ( , d areas of suburbs , has increased My Myers M : ers says because the cost of land is islower . lower usually in the suburbs suburban suburbanareas areas In addition the ! lifting lihng of ofbuilding ibuilding building controls last Decembi December Decembermade ! made more materials available to tosuburban ' suburban builders There were 361 000 new building buildingunits bulldir bulldirunits units started in the first six x ! months monthsof . of 1947 and 363 363000 000 completed the thegreatest tt greatest greatest number since smce the boom boomdays boo ; days of 1928 Corresponding figures figuresfor flguri -s s - tor for tha the first six months of 1946 show sho 340 340100 100 units umts started and 128 600 600completed a 0 completed But In the 1947 period only 218 W 208 208permIts permits were for dwelling umts unitscities In IncIties cIties a decline of 14165 14 165 from the tl , 232 373 city building permits penmts Issued issul the first six months of 1946 Myers says the ratio of suburban suburbanI suburbanto I to city construction construcbon has been tr In Increasmg 3 3per 36 36per creasing creasmg since smce 1945 when about per cent of construction work wa was wasIn [ g in suburban areas In 1946 suburban . building represented about 40 pecent per percent ' , cent of the national total In 194 1947 1947stabstlclans ' statisticians stabstlclans believe it will repre represent ( , ' sent about 45 per cent centNot Not Back to Farm Farm'I'h1s This 'I'h1s Ih1s ' definitely is not a back to tothe the farm movement Myers say says saysThe ; ' ' The sites are not farm property propertyThe ' The majority maonty ] of them are m sub suburban ' urban areas that have been built bUllt up upalmost almost as completely as the nearby nearbycity city areas Our statistics statlstlcs are for fornonfarm ir nonfarm construction construcbon work workStatisticians workStatlstlclans Statisticians Statlstlclans have noted one othc other othertrend trend the construction construcl1on of more moreapartment apartment houses They say it Is tc tcearly too tooearly early to make forecasts but that tl the thel'Onstruchon l'Onstruchon lOnstruchon ' of apartments inside cities cIhes is increasing mcreasing at present . If It Itcontmues icontinues contmues upward it may reverse reversethe reversithe the trend toward a higher ratio of ofdwelling dwelling units umts in the suburbs suburbsStatistlclans Statisticians Statistlclans believe beheye liberalizatioito hberal1zabonof hberal1zabon of rent controls may have stlmu I Ilated . ' lated apartment construction constructlon . . . The bureau ot of labor statistic stahshcs 1 forecasts a near record year ID the construction Industry during durmg 1947 1947Its Its experts predict at least 725 000 000c 000umts units umts will be started this year cost costmg ing mg $4 4 $ 151 000 000 but still well wen below belowthe the all a11 time record of 925 000 unIts 1 started m 1Il boom 1925 1925The The bureau estimates estlffiates the cost of ofc c building bulldmg material is up about 80 percent per percent cent compared with 1925 prices The - average hourly earnings of con - struction structlon workers Is up about 75 percent per percent cent over the 1939 rate A comparable compara comparable ble wage rate tor for 1925 is not available avail available able _ |
