The Coconino sun., 1927-07-01
BUILD THE ARIZONA WAY
WITH ARIZONA MATERIAL

Facts and figures showing that
Arizona building construction, no mat
ter how large or how small, can be
handled most satisfactorily by the use
Of Arizona architects, Arizona con-
tractors, Arizona workmen, Arizona
building supply firms and Arizona
building materials featured meeting
of architects, contractors and mate
rial dealers held in Phoenix Tuesday
night as the opening of statewide
campaign to apply the ''Trade at
Home Use Arizona Products" princi-
pie to Arizona's record building pro-
gram that is now under way.
The meeting was sponsored by the
Arizona Industrial Congress and Lum-
berman's club Of Arizona, and proved
so successful that a series of similar
sessions is planned in other leading
cities to make the movement truly
statewide in scope. The next is ten
tatively scheduled for Tucson, and
with those to follow will be held un-
der auspices Of local chambers of
commerce and other bodies.
The initial Build the Arizona Way
session here was marked by demon
stration that Arizona architects and
contractors are already making spe-
cial efforts to use Arizona materials
and obtain materials through Arizona
firms whenever possible. 1t was en-
phasized, however, that the real sue
cess of the movement TO make every
construction job an 'sall Arizona" one
must go back to those financing the
building, and the industrial congress
was asked to bring to the attention
Of city, county and school district of
ficials and Of citizens and corpora
tions erecting buildings, the advan-
tages of having Arizona firms handle
all the work, from designing down to
furnishing supplies, subject of course
to competitive price and quality
Along this line it was mentioned
that many people seem to have the
idea outside architects and contractors
are better fitted to handle big con-
struction jobs, Notwithstanding the
fact that most of the largest build
ings in the state have been designed
and built by Arizona firms, from ma
terials obtained from Arizona COM
panies. Use of Arizona architects
and contractors was declared espe-
cially important in that outside archi-
tects and contractors naturally tend
to specify outside materials and buy
from outside supply firms with which
they have done business before.
One Of the most interesting points
brought out was that Arizona build
ing materials are being usef to a
increasing extent in Arizona
building. One lumber firm reported
that Arizona native pine lumber now
makes up 80 per cent of its interior
finish business, and it was generally
felt that the use of Arizona lumber
could be materially increased if the
northern lumber mills went after the
business more actively and maintained
close contact not only with retailers
but with architects and contractors.
Similarly, it was reported that the
greater part Of the plaster used in the
Phoenix locality now comes from
Douglas, where large gypsum plant
has been operating for a number of
years, and that practically all of the
hydrated lime used there comes from
the same city. Another interesting
sidelight was that common brick man
there are the cheapest, con-
size, in the United States,
with the exception of two southern
cities where labor costs are abnor-
mally low. Still another was the in
terest displayed in the use of Arizona
tufa for building stone, incidental to
the opening Of new tufa plant at
Phoenix, and another was the interest
displayed in Mexican hardwoods
milied at Nogales for high-grade in
terror finish, flooring and the like