56 
THE HOUSING QUESTION 
No, there were not too many of this kind of official. 
There were too few. Owing to the procrastination and 
niggardliness of the Treasury—in its best penny-wise- 
and pound-foolish style—Housing Commissioners had 
to fight the taxpayers’ battle with too few and under 
paid quantity surveyors. For want of staff the flood 
of tenders and of conferences to decide prices could 
not be got through without inordinate delay, and all 
the time the price was steadily rising in favour of the 
builder, under pressure of demand. Moreover, owing 
to the poor rates of pay offered by the Treasury, the 
builders had the pick of the technical professions— 
and gained far more profit than they should have done. 
Nor is it any more possible to maintain the eleventh 
excuse. In 1919, a new and better style of building 
working-class houses came into vogue. In many parts 
no building had taken place for twenty years or more. 
In others, and these the vast majority, only old and 
bad jerry-built types had been erected. Everywhere 
builders were timid after the war and workmen not 
always at their best. Architects had to get used to 
procedure and the new model plans and specifications. 
But once these difficulties had been surmounted—and 
it was extraordinary how quickly they were sur 
mounted—plans, tenders, and contracts were arranged 
far faster than builders could set men to work at 
them. All honour is due to the hard, self-sacrificing 
work of the permanent officials of Local Authorities 
in clearing away all obstacles and getting the houses 
actually begun and completed. The flow of contracts