Week's Statistic

Employes of U. S. structural concerns have lately had much opportunity to improve their golf, their bridge or their gardens but not their incomes. With some of the larger builders business has continued to be good but, generally speaking, the building industry has been, and remains, in a notable slump. Last week a Bradstreet report based on building permits in 187 U. S. cities summed up this slump in the form of a concise figure. That figure was 23.4%. It represented the decrease in building for August 1929, compared to August 1928. It meant, roughly speaking, that for every four structures built during August 1928 only three were being built during August 1929--a startling shrinkage in so basic an industry. Greatest decline, however (45%) was in New York; decrease outside the metropolis stood at 18.6%.