Arizona republican., 1908-08-25
THE BUILD NOW" CAMPAIGN.

The American Lumberman, the rec ognized exponent of the American lumber industry has -inaugurated a build now" campaign. Its argu- ments are first that conditions right now favor the builder more than they have for a long time and more than they are likely to for some time to come, and secondly that a general building boom will do much to help in restoring general prosperity. Con- corning the latter contention there is no argument. In respect of the former that journal says:
 Tn general, building materials are now from to 20 per cent below the price in effect in 1901, and in many instances they are below the 1905 and 1906 prices. Even in places where the cost of material has not receded the lack of sufficient work to keep all workmen busy causes a com petition that results in much better service than can ordinarily be had. Though labor may command an un- diminished wage, it is effectively cheaper because it is the better men who are kept employed when work falls off"
 Bringing the subject home to Phoe- nix one does not need to dwell on either of the reasons given above for there are plenty of good arguments of local nature that can be brought to bear. In respect of the man who owns property, pays rent and has money in the bank or good credit the advice to build now would hardly seen necessary, and there are many such people living in Phoenix today. Surely every man would pre- fer to own the house he lives in and it must be admitted that cost of materials is today less than for some years past in this city and probably as low as it will soon be again. One
  and that is that the future of Phoe- nix is assured. There is no guess work or chance about it as there is in many western cities. Property will never be worth less than it is now in Phoenix and there is no logical reason why it will not constantly ad- vance in value. ...... .....
 For the man who has capital to in vest and inclines to the building of of the times are equally inviting Never was there a greater demand for houses and that demand is certain to Increase as the months go by. Renters require modern and up to date cottages for residence purposes and no building of that character is long vacant even in the summer time. Though many houses are un- , occupied during the vacation season rent has been paid upon them during the past summer that they may be available in the fall It is true that the papers are full of advertisements of houses to rent, but for the most 1 part they are either in undesirable | neighborhoods, or lack the conven- fences of bath rooms, good plumbing | and modern equipment Advertise | ments for good houses do not remain | long unanswered, if the rates are req sonable and instances are not infre- | quent where even extortionate- rates are willingly paid for the one reason that the renter can get what he wants A local builder in a recent conversation estimated that about a hundred houses had been built in Phoenix this summer. There should | have been five times as many Every succeeding winter discloses the need of more houses.
 It has also become recently appar- ent that there is, a shortage of busi- ness property, such as store buildings and ground floor office rooms. It is true there are a few unoccupied but an effort to rent one of them will disclose the fact that they are not available. Within two weeks a gen tleman seeking to rent a storeroom for temporary purpose, found that every one of them was rented and l. in some instances rent had been paid on vacant rooms all summer merely to hold them for use the coming win ter. The only way such a property can be secured is to re-rent from the lease holder and there are few , for doing that. Owners of inside property who have sufficient r capital will do well to heed the mes sage of the "build now" campaign.