io4 
THE HOUSING QUESTION 
rate, and further, if the re-housing could not be completed 
in 3 years or the slum clearance in 6 years, owing to the 
shortage of labour, materials or other such cause, that 
the time might be extended by the Minister. It is true 
that all schemes and all extensions of time had to 
be approved by the Minister, but this condition was 
inserted in the Act, as in all similar cases, where the 
taxes are drawn upon by Local Councils, to prevent 
extravagance in detail. It was never intended by 
Parliament when it passed the Act, or by the Electors, 
that the Minister should use this power of withholding 
approval (at a period, be it borne in mind, far short 
even of the three-year period) in order to reverse 
in toto the whole Housing policy and stop the programme. 
That is what Sir Alfred Mond has done with the consent 
of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet The Govern 
ment have definitely refused since 14th July, 1921, to 
approve contracts for more than 176,000 houses. 
That is why Dr. Addison, the late Minister, resigned. 
The Prime Minister stated in the House of Commons on 
21st July, 1921, that the withholding of approval of 
the further contracts would not reduce by a single house 
the number to be built. It was a grotesque and scandalous 
misrepresentation. To-day, there are 175,000 men of 
the building trades unemployed. That is the kind of 
statement the Prime Minister thinks good enough for 
the House of Commons and the people of England. 
That is why the question, “ Did the Government 
ever really mean business ? " admits of but one answer 
—they never did.