CNnFTENSoN LUTTIBER Co.

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November Housing Srqrrs-8O,OOO

Nonfarm housing starts declined less than seasonally in November 1953 to 80,000, according to preliminary estimates of the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The November decline was in privately owned housing, and reflected some decrease in activity in all sections of the country except the pacific States, where vol_ ume held the same as in October. Included in the November total were 1,600 new units begun by public housing authorities.

Although starts of privately owned housing were down by almost 11 per cent last month, the decline was less than usual for November; in each of the 3 previous years (195052) the October-November drop amounted to around lg per cent. On a seasonally adjusted basis, private starts this November were at an annual rate of 1,069,000-the highest rate since April.

The million mark for new drvelling-unit starts in 1953 u'as reached in November, with 1,031,300 new nonfarm dwelling units begun during the first 11 months, compared rvith 1,055,500 for the same months in 1952, and 1,030,500 for the like 1951 period. The downward drift in private housing starts which began last May has been gradual, so that the total thus far in 1953 (997,IW units) was almost equal to private volume for the same period of 1952-the second best housing year on record. publicly owned housing, totaling 34,AO units, was down by more than a third from the January-November 1952 figure.