Arizona republican., 1916-01-01
While Construction Did Not Approach that of Previous Year Supt. Mann Sees Increased Activity Com ing Soon
1914
e9S $3l6,91l.7O s27 s767,521.2O

According to figures from the office of City Building Superintendent Her bert J. Mann. building activities in Phoenix for the calendar year of 1915. just ended. fell more than one half short of the record year of 1914, which was the second best in the history of this city This. according to MT. Mann. was attributed to the general business depression prevailing over the entire country and that even as good a show ing was made under the circumstances as actually obtained. is d source of much satisfaction to this official. That the turning point has come and that the year 1916 will be marked by in- creased building, is the prediction made by the superintendent.
 The foregoing table indicates the number of permits issued in 1915 with the valuations represented. as com pared with the permits and valuations for 1914. It will he soen that NOvem Der was the most inactive of the entire twelve months and that December showed a satisfactory increase
 'I believe that 1916 will be marked by a substantial increase in building operations' said MT. Mann yesterday. Il have information relative to quite q number of new buildings that are proposed and which are really round irg into shape where construction is likely to begin in the near future.
 Ny department has been quite aC- tive. although there are but two men connected with it now. as compared with four one year ago. Besides the
 inspector who takes care of plumbing and gas inspections as well as the in
 spection of actual building construc- ton. there is the electrical inspector connected with this department. There has been a great improvement in the matter of gas inspections. There have
 been fev gas accidents and none in
 V hiCh fatality occurred. All the ac- Sidents occurred where old installa
 tons were still in use. This depart
 ment is always ready to make gas in spectiOns.
 There has been great improvement in tl Q matter of electrical installations. many old buildings having been in spected and the installations modern iZed without working much hardship on the owners. Tn all the building de- | partment made 49I3 inspection in 1915. an average of about 400 monthly" Tn the water department under Su- perintendent V. A Thompson, a satis Q factory showing was made in 1915. During the twelve months the follow l ing water main extensions were made:
 6750 feet I2 inch pipe; 464G feet 10 l inch pipe; 70 feet. inch pipe: 2715 feet, incr pipe. and 7l feet. inch pipe. a total for the year of 14.521 feet. Prior to January l. 1915. there had been installed 475,67S feet of water mains | the total at the end of the year being 490,199 feet or approximately g miles | of water mains.
 Fourteen inch fire hydrants and | four inch hydTants. were installed. a total for the year of eighteen and a | grand total now in use of 313 hydrants | Of water services there were l53 i'm l stalled in 1915. prior to that time there | being 4Sz6, or a total at present oi i 4979 services.
 | The total water department collec- 1 tions for 1915 amounted to $lI4.351.0 l The fire department made the best | showing since there was even a sem 1 hlance of raid organization. In all | there were 129 fires during 1915. with
 total loss of S24.5S0. covered by in- l surance to the amount of $696 67j. The
 alarms and losses by months are as | follows: