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Residentiql Construction Hit $157 Million in Colif. in Dec.

Once again the West is showing the way to the rest of the nation in maintaining building volume, with the dollar volume in December l0/o ahead of December 1958 in the 13 Western States, as reported by Western Building, light construction journal.

Actual number of permits was down slightly (l/o) Irom 56,577 to 55,908, as reported from 451 building areas. This indicates a, larger average value of permits for all building classifications. Dollar volume in these areas increased from $372,610,381 in December 1958 to $412,539,390 in December 1959, an increase of $40 million.

Residential building was down only slightly in dollar volume in December (from $221,789,757 a year ago to $219,W9,442" less than I/o) but with total number of residential permits issued down from 21,025 to 19,753-a drop of 67o.

A' study of residential permits indicates that average value of home permits in California has gone up from $10,665 to $11,324, an increase of 6.2/o over the year's period; while in the other 12 states a similar increase is from $10,279 to $10,688, or 4/o. Average increase for the 13 Western States is 5.5/. in cost per dwelling unit; up from $10,549 to $11,133 in December compared to a year ago.

Oregon, Hawaii, Utah, Montana and Wyoming were the consistent bright spots in December in all categories of increase, with plus marks in both number and dollar volume of all forms of construction including residential. Oregon and Hawaii were each up 50/a in total dollar volume of construction permits issued.

California, which accounts for over half of the \Mestern light construction, showed an increase in total dollar volume ftom $247 to $275 million, with residential construction nearly the same as a year ago at about $157 million. Utah nearly double'd building volume, up from $31 million to over $61.

In a study of building activity in the 25 leading cities and counties of the West, the following areas showed increases in December 1959 over both November 1959 and December 1958:

Albuquerque, New Mexico; Phoenix and Tucson, Ari- zona; Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose in Northern California; and Anaheim, Carlsbad, Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, San Diego County and Santa Barbara County in Southern California. San Francisco moved up from 10th to 3rd place among the 25 building leaders, Phoenix from 14th to 5th, and Albuquerque from 24th into 8th place.

(Tell them Vou sau it in The Californin Lumber Merchant)