Arizona republican., 1917-08-14
Building in Phoenix

AprOpos a story whic h appeared in The Repub- lican yesterday morning regarding building opera tions in Phoenix since January of this year, we have just received advance pages the American Contractor for August. By comparison, considering population with building in other cities the position of Phoenix much gratifying than its position by comparison with it's building operations in recent years and that is gratifying enough
 The American Contractor gives list of 116 cities, including the largest in the country and with a population below 10000. The estimated of the buildings of Phoenix in July we have shown is $1339O6 That exceeds the estimated cost of July building in forty mine of the 116 cities Of these, the nearest approach to the Phoenix estimate is Bir mingham. Ala, with $133,S24. The figures of the other forty-eight cities July range from s11S55S down to $711O
 The estimated of the building in Phoenix for July of 1916 $S0323. So that the percentage of gain for July, 1917, is s43 That percentage is ceeded in the list by only other cities of the 116 St. Joseph, Mo, 9SO and Pueblo, Colo, 53S. But St Joseph's building estimates were only s11.425 in July of 1916 $9O32S so that the percentage of estimates of Pueblo in 1916 were ss.S1O and in July of this year. S62,6O5.
 To show that the Phoenix building estimates of July not abnormaly swollen by few large build ings but that they represent general construction the number of permits issued in July, 14S is greater than the number issued in any of the forty nine cities with which a comparison has been made. The nearest approach to that number 40 in Chat tanooga Tennessee. Only thirty-five of the 11G cities exceeded Phoenix in the number permits. Phoenix, by the way, has made good showing every month this year. the best being March of s37 7955O.
 Taking the country shown by the figures of these 116 cities, there serious slump in building as compared with July of last year. more
 
 losses occurred chiefly in the larger cities and in smaller where construction for another last year abnormal The American Contractor says:
 Business conditions have changed almost as much during the last few months in the past two years This applies to nearly every industry in the try The fundamental factors influencing business have taken a radically altered aspect due to the assurance of this nations fixed determination stay in this fight to finish. The coming industry of this country is war; it has been stated "Busness- but not usual" For most industries this change means Business more than usual" with inn pOrtant qualification which is that growing empha- sis will be put the necessities and utilities No study the tremendous financial preparations the estimates of which daily become larger without realizing that business must continue in immense volume, however changed in character. This is what Is implied in the phrase "readjustment to a war basis"
 The Contractor finds that there has been slow ing dewp in residential building as a speculative n- Vestment account of the greater need of plant" buildings and because of the higher prices of terias but it believes that there will be shortly readiustment. This comment concerning "specua- tive" building applies though only the booming of towns the construction of residents far beyond any existing need, such have Los An seles and other Southern California towns within recent and such in the early Eighties spread Wichita, Kansas, and many other mid d-western towns over the face of a country needed for agricul tural purposes.
 "The comment does not in any way apply to Phoe- nix whose supply now is tagging behind the demand as it has generally done. In spite of high price of building materials, and it will be many years be- fore they will be lower Phoenix have more residences. There will be profit for the who build them. There is nothing speculative" in building residences in Phoenix than there is in buy ing $20 gold pieces at a discount.