36

THE  HOUSING  QUESTION

that  can  spend  £140,000,000  a  year  (the  reduced  figures  n<
after  the  Geddes  cuts)  on  the  fighting  services  can  P 1
spend  £9,500,000  on  making  us  an  Ax  nation,  whereby  Vi
incidentally  two  private  soldiers  would  become  as  good  tl
fighters  as  three  of  our  present  population  can  be.  ei
A  warning  may  here  be  given  against  accepting  01
without  investigation  the  statements  recently  circu-  01
lated  by  the  Ministry  of  Health  that  the  cost  of  houses  is
to-day  is  less  than  £400  and  approaching  a  figure  at  c:
which  private  enterprise  can  build  for  an  economic  f<
rent  without  assistance.  cl
In  the  first  place  these  abnormally  low  tenders  are
generally  offered  only  for  a  few  houses  by  an  odd  firm  0
or  two,  who  have  already  got  their  plant  on  the  ground  "
and  wish  to  keep  a  section  of  their  men  at  work  for  a  b

while.  Such  offers  cannot  be  considered  normal
market  prices  until  made  upon  a  large  scale.
In  the  second  place,  the  house  for  which  such  tenders
are  offered  is  always  of  a  non-parlour  type,  and  will  be
found  also  to  be  one  with  abnormally  small  rooms  and
greatly  reduced  amenities  (as  recently  encouraged  by
the  Ministry),  far  below  the  standards  set  by  the
Ministry  and  by  informed  public  opinion  in  1919.
And  finally  to  refute  the  fallacy  that  the  capital
cannot  be  found.  Of  course,  if  we  are  going  to  persist
in  the  mistake  of  the  present  Government  and  try  |
and  build  all  the  houses  the  country  wants  in  three  1
years,  we  shall,  besides  sending  up  builders'  prices  to  a
fabulous  figure,  exhaust  the  supply  of  Capital,  except  '
at  a  ruinous  rate  of  interest.  But  why  do  this  ?  Why  t