THE  HOUSING  QUESTION

89

housing  committees  and  technical  officers  of  Local
Authorities,  to  compel  them  to  lower  their  housing
standards,  and  on  innumerable  occasions  approval
of  tenders  and  contracts  was  refused  by  the  Ministry
until  modifications  of  the  precise  kind  adverted  to  by
Mr.  Gillis  had  been  made.  The  only  inaccuracy  in  the
question  was  the  employment  of  the  word  “  all  ”  in
respect  of  Type  B  houses  and  of  dressers,  cupboards,
etc.  The  correct  word  he  should  have  employed  was
"  many."  There  is  not  a  Councillor  or  official  of  a
Local  Authority  throughout  the  kingdom  who  does
not  know  well  that  Sir  Alfred  Mond's  reply  was  a  gross
untruth.
(3)  Has  the  demand  for  houses  recently  lessened  ?
On  4th  May,  1921,  Sir  Alfred  Mond  told  the  House
of  Commons  that  Local  Authorities  were  in  many  cases
seriously  reducing  their  own  previous  estimates  of
need.
Dr.  Addison,  when  Minister,  at  the  close  of  his
tenure  of  office,  had  told  the  House  of  Commons,  on
10th  March,  1921,  that  only  a  few  Authorities  were
reducing  their  schemes.
The  National  Housing  and  Town  Planning  Council,
which  is  in  as  close  touch  with  the  Local  Authorities
as  is  the  Ministry,  and  through  unofficial  channels  in
far  closer  touch,  stated  in  its  fortnightly  Record  oi
19th  November,  1921,  that  from  its  information
very  few  Authorities  were  reducing  their  requirements.
The  question  arises  :  Was  Sir  Alfred  Mond  on  4th