Page:Walter Renton Ingalls - Current Economic Affairs (1924).pdf/94

80 {| class="table"
 * + —(1913 = 100)
 * | 1913
 * | 1919
 * | 1920
 * | 1921
 * | 1922
 * | 1st quarter || 94 || 106 || 114 || 106 || 95
 * | 2nd quarter || 81 || 133 || 101 || 101 || 104
 * | 3rd quarter || 92 || 105 || 92 || 125 || 96
 * | 4th quarter || 133 || 114 || 123 || 104 || 110
 * | Average for year || 100 || 115 || 108 || 109 || 101
 * }
 * | 3rd quarter || 92 || 105 || 92 || 125 || 96
 * | 4th quarter || 133 || 114 || 123 || 104 || 110
 * | Average for year || 100 || 115 || 108 || 109 || 101
 * }
 * | Average for year || 100 || 115 || 108 || 109 || 101
 * }
 * }

The above tables show that not even in 1919 had the physical volume of our exports risen hugely above the average for 1913. The physical volume of our imports on the other hand has been in recent years largely above the pre-war level.

In the production of houses the record of the last 10 years is in no way satisfactory. The common statistics on this subject are quite misleading, in that they are expressed in terms of dollars, not in terms of quantity. Moreover there is no consistent set of statistics with respect to this subject running far back. I have developed the following estimates from Bradstreet and Dodge.

The accompanying table is at first sight surprising in its showing that in recent years, notwithstanding much talk about a building boom, we have actually been doing less construction than previous to the war. Refer, however, to the statistics for the consumption of building materials (see Chapter VII) and the same thing will be found to appear there. In Chapter I there are also some illuminating statements in regard to this subject.