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HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 



1919 



HUDDLESTON-MARSH 

 MAHOGANY COMPANY 



Importers and Manufacturers of 



MAHOGANY 



Lumber and Veneer 



2256 LUMBER STREET 



Chicago, Illinois 



347 MADISON AVENUE 



New York City, N.Y. 



December Building Permits 



A favorable reaction from war rastrictious can be noted in the records 

 of building permits issued in the principal cities throughout the United 

 States for December. The total value of permits issued during October, 

 $20,279,711, was the lowest record for any month up to that time during 

 the past six years ; but the total value for November was almost negligible, 

 amounting to only $6,593,857 in 151 cities. 



FAVORABLE INCREASE SHOWN 



During December in 14S cities the total value of building permits 

 officially reported to The American Contractor was $17,485,396. Although 

 this was thirty-eight per cent less than the total value reported during 

 December, 1917, the gain over November is significant, since usually fewer 

 permits are issued in December than in November. The total is still far 

 below normal, but apparently the removal of government restrictions on 

 building and the end of the war are having the desired favorable effect. 



The following table shows an interesting comparison of construction 

 work In October, November and December tor the past five years : 



No. of Cities Est. Value 



1918 Reported of Bldgs. 



October 142 $26,000,000 



November 151 6,000,000 



December 148 17,000,000 



1917 



October 142 43,000,000 



November 151 45,000,000 



December 144 28,000,000 



1916 



October ■ Ill 99,000,000 



November 114 69,000,000 



December 109 69,000,000 



1915 



October Ill 78,000,000 



Novemlier 114 69,000,000 



December 109 66,000,000 



1914 



October 73 44,000,000 



November 75 34,000,000 



December 76 37,000,000 



FORTY-NI.NE CITIES SHOW GAIN 



Of the 148 cities reporting a gain over December, 1917, Is shown In 

 forty-nine cities, notably at Albany, N. Y., Camden, N. J., Canton, Cln- 



All Three of Us Will Be Benefited if 



cinnati, Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, Indianapolis, Ind., New Haven, Conn., 

 Niagara Falls, N. Y., Portland, Ore., Richmond, Va., and Salt Lake City, 

 Utah. 



TOTAL VALUE OF BUILDING FOR 191S 



The total value of building permits for the year is significant only as It 

 indicates the decline in private construction due to war conditions. The 

 total value of $414,796,903 for 1918 shows a loss of thirty-nine per cent 

 over the total of $676,662,206 for 1917, and a loss of 114 per cent over 

 the total of $889,884,679 for 1916. The loss was fairly evenly distributed 

 over all months of the year — July showing the least decline with only 

 ten per cent loss, November the greatest with eighty-five per cent loss. 



Places for Returning Soldiers 



While It was generally made known throughout the farm operating 

 equipment Industry that all employers would receive back their employees 

 who left to engage in war activities, special action was taken at a meeting 

 of the executive committee of the National Implement and Vehicle Asso- 

 ciation, held on January 9, in the form of a resolution, offered by H. M. 

 Wallis, chairman of the committee, and unanimously adopted to the effect 

 that former employes who apply for positions within thirty days after 

 honorable discharge will be given re-employment at compensation at least 

 equal to what they were receiving when they left the employment. The 

 majority of the old employes are expected to come back. 



England's Three Demands for Wood 

 The London Timber Trades Journal of December 7 summarizes as fol- 

 lows the three leading demands for wood in the British Isles : 



With war work a thing of the past, merchants are now turning their 

 attention from huts, aerodromes, shell-filling factories, ammunition cases, 

 etc., to requirements more suitable for a civilized state of society. Apart 

 from all the miscellaneous arrears of work for which timber is required, 

 there are three most important industries which can absorb all, and more 

 than all, tue imported timber which will be avajlai>le in this country for 

 the next couple of years. They are (1) the government housebuilding 

 program. (2) shii)l)uilding and (3) developments and repairs to our rail- 

 ways. These throe industries have suffered terribly during the war from 

 the lack of labor and of raw material, and as permits or priority certifi- 

 cates will be necessary in regard to the use of imported wood for some time, 

 quantities of timber will have to be reserved for these three great objects. 

 Engineering, road repairing, horticultural work, etc.. will claim a share, 

 but timber merchants, in looking forward to the needs of the country 

 during the next two seasons, may well fix their attention on housing, 

 shiptmilding and railway requirements, and, as soon as they are permitted 

 to make any purchases, to look out for timber suitable for the purposes 

 in question. In regard to housing, merchants say that the present prices 

 of wood and other materials will entirely prohibit any speculative build- 

 ing, and that only government and municipal house-building will be under- 



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