The housing question

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1023104237

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-61777

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: The housing question

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.

Year of publication:: 1922

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (125 Seiten)

Collection:: Economics Books

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54 THE HOUSING QUESTION Let us first investigate the credentials of the critics. There was, not so long ago, an investigation by a Government Committee* of the finance of those companies who make it their business to insure poor people and the working classes. That Committee reported that, for every £i paid in by the insured persons in premium, about nine shillings never came back to them in benefits, but were eaten up in the running expenses of the Companies and their profits, very largely accruing through lapsed policies. Now let us compare with this 45 per cent, of total income spent in overhead charges and profit the cost of the whole of the regional Housing officials set to work by the Government in 1919, to represent the taxpayer throughout Britain and to urge on, supervise and control the building of the first 200,000 houses. This cost, according to a reply in the Commons by the Minister in 1921, was £323,647 a year. As far as one can ascertain this worked out at from £3 to £5 per house built, i.e., less than half of one per cent.— proportionally one hundredth part of what business men appear to charge for their overhead expenses in insurance ! Nor is this the whole story. It is a fact that the Government housing officials, through their close technical supervision of plans, estimates, tenders and contracts, saved an amount per house to the taxpayer vastly exceeding the few pounds their service cost. * The Parmoor Departmental Committee of the Board of Trade which reported on 19th February, 1920, Cmd. 6x4. The present Government have done nothing to remedy the criminal state of things shown up by this Committee two years ago.

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