1959 Housing-Stort Estimqtes Revised Upword

The Census Bureau has published a new system of compiling housing statistics, increasing by 174,ffi units thegovernment's original estimate of housing starts in 1959.

According to the revised count, construction was begun on 1,553,100 units last year. This is l3/o above the previous estimate of 1,378,500.

Homebuilding in April 1960 provided special significance. The revised figures show that public and private starts totaled ll7,7W, compared with 110,400 under the earlier count. This raised the seasonallv adiusted annual rate of private starts to I,254,000, a I4/o'increase over March. The old series showed practically no change.

For the first four months of 1960, some 385,200 public and private starts were reported. This was 7/o more'than the old system indicated. The seasonally-adjusted annual

Construction in Los Angeles Heoding for Record Yeqr

Building construction in Los Angeles for the first quarter of this year substantially cxceeded that for the first three months of 1959, according to Building Superintendent Gilbert E. Morris. He said that permits valued at $166,766,123 were issued in the city prior to March 31, more thari $6 million over the same 1959 period.

Permits in areas served by the County department were nearly $2 million ahead of last year, with a value of $86,562,523, reports County Engineer John A. Lambie. The San Fernando Valley area was ap 42/6.

rate of private starts for the January-April period was 1,262,000, a 10/o increase over earlier figures. But the new series indicates that the homebuilding rate so far in 1960 is still 20% below 1959.

The new system, of considerable importance to homebuilders and allied industries, is a radical departure from the previous method of gathering housing statistics. After c_onducting its national inventory of housing in 1956, the Census Bureau found that about 25% of all new homes were not reported. It also discovered that homebuilding activity had been understated in each of the past ten years or more. In 1956 the discrepancy was about24.2/o.

The Census Bureau. which took over the task of assembling housing figures last year from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has broadened its definition of housing starts and has made numerous other changes.

The agency cautioned that the new and old figures are "not directly comparable" and explained that comparison of 1959 and 19@ starts with those of earlier years would require some upward adjustments for the pre-1958 period. This may be und"grtaken later.

For the first tim.e, farm home construction, housing starts in Alaska and Hawaii and other changes are included. These account for a.bout five points of the l3/o total change in figures for 1959.

\Mhereas the old method relied chiefly on the number of building permits issued, the new compilation is based on actual construction. This is the guideline it uses :

"A housing start consists of the start of construction on a new housing unit, when located within a new building which is intended primarily as a housekeeping residential building designed for non-transient occupancy. Start of construction is defined as the beginning of excavation for the foundation of the building. A housing unit is defined as a single room or group of rooms intended for occupancy as separate living quarters by a family, by a group of unrelated persons living together, or by a person living alone. A housekeeping residential building is a building consisting primarily of housing units."

The new series thus includes both year-round and seasonal housing. It also covers housing of all values and levels of quality. This means that some low-income housing, heretofore unreported, will be included. Also covered are prefabricated housing, basement houses, shell houses, dwellings built of second-hand materials, and permanent and temporary units. Still excluded, however, are group quarters, transient accommodations, such as motels and hotels, house trailers and living quarters in non-residential buildings.

No separate figures were given for farm housing starts, the Census Bureau said, because of the prospect of "extremely high sampling error."

Summing up, the agency said its new system is geared to provide a much more accurate measurement of monthto-month changes in the housing picture than previously. The new series also is expected to show sharper changes from month to month.

Oil Compqny Acquires Sqn Corlos, 8,OOO-Home Proiect in Sqn Diego

Over 450 homes have been comoleted at San Carlos. the 8,000-home community in San Diego recently purchased for $7.5 million by the Sunset International Petroleum Corp. Another 500 homes are scheduled for completion by the end of this year, and scheduled starts are at the rate of 1,000 a year until completion date in 1968.

With a full complement of churches, schools, shopping centers, hotels, apartments, motels, parks and golf courses, the completely integrated project will represent a $200-mil- lion investment by the oil company when completed. The 4,000-acre development will accommodate more than 50,000 persons and be a "city-within-a-city."

Sunset International President Morton A. Sterling said the San Carlos project was obtained through acquisition of the Tavares Development Co., a land improvement firm headed by Builder-Developer Carlos Tavares of La Jolla. Sterling stated that the area would form the hub of San Diego's anticipated growth pattern. It is 12 minutes from downtown by auto and will eventually be laced by seven freeways and arterial roads.

(Tell them Aou sau it in The California Lumber Merchant)

Mory Pogonis Nqmed Officer

Fred Branch, president of Pacific Hardwood Sales Co. and Florida-Cal Corp., has named Mary Pagonis to the office of secretary-treasurer of both corporations. She is now located in Pacific Hardwood's Oakland ofifice after a year at Fort Lauderdale, where she managed Florida-Cal's ofifice.