Calif. Building Continues Increasing

Don't let the idea permeate your cranium, Mr. Lumberman, that because the'lumber market has been in an unenviable condition in California of late, that it reBects in any manner of means either directly or indirectly, any "slowing up" in the onward surge of progress in California. Not even does it indicate a slowing up of the building program in the state.

Because there isn't any direct connection between the lumber conditions in California, and the building conditions in California' It would seem that there would be a most direct connection, but there ISN'T. And that is because of this peculiariqy of ours. Just because we lumber folks get over-enthusiastic and dump twiceas much lumber into California as California has any immediate use for, thereby clogging the docks and the terminals, and scaring the buyers to cover, is no reflection against the building prosperity ofCalifornia. And the building figures on the great State of California for the first three months of. 1924 show beyond a doubt thatthe building and the lumber business are not even distant cousins.

The lumber business, for instancg has been very rotten around Los Angeles. Yet for the first three months of 1924 Los Angeles building permits were $46,511,698. During the first three months of. 1923 the lumber business in Los Angeles territory was in most healthful condition; but the building permits for the same perriod in Los Angeles were just $44,534,914. So you see, it wasn't building that was bad. It was just lumber that was foolish.

Take a few other instances. San Francisco permits for the first quarter ol 1924 were $11,743'512, as compared with $9,714,059.

The splendid growing city of Oakland showed $7,166,152, as compared iith $6,475,948; Berkeley showed $2,312,620, as compared with $1,701,164; Long Beach showed $7,641,+20 as compared with $6,403,179; Beverly Hills showed $1,302,668 as compared with $Sgz,gzO for last year.

Here is a full list of California cities showing their building permits for the first three months of the present year, as well as for L923 and. L922. These are very interesting figures:

Los Angeles lvlodesto tr{ontebello

National City........

Oakland

Ontario

Orange

Palo Alto

Pasadena

Piedmont

Pomona

Redwood City........

Redlands

Richmond

Riverside

Sacramento

San Bernardino

San Diego

East San Diego

Take the city of Los Angeles, for example. Because it has been so much in the limelight for the past several years it is perhaps the most closely watched of all American cities, and the whole world has been watching to see "Ffowlong will it last," meaning the big boom in the Southern California city.

The following facts concerning Los Angeles and Southern California are taken from a boosting circular just issued to the trade by the Hipolito Company, of Los Angeles. will give a very excellent idea of some of the outstanding facts concerning 1924 prospects in this territory, especially when backed by the building permit figures shown above:

"Organization formed to finance new Los Angeles industries. Capital of $50,000,000 to be available.

"Building permits for first quarter 1924 exceed same period of 1923 by over $2,000,000.

"Southern California Telephone Co. will spend $19,000,000 in L924 expansion program.

"March postoffice receipts show increase of 12.92 per cent over March, 1923.

"March permits for frame dwelling- construction were $666,598 greater than in February of this year.

"IJnion Pacific Railway announces $8,000,000 development in manufacturing district.

"Internal Revenue Collections for March aggregate more than any other month in Southern California history.

"Income-Tax receipts alone were greater than the income-tax receipts in any other month since Internal Revenue Bureau was established.

(Continued on Page 60.)