THE  HOUSING  QUESTION

109

spirit  as  well  as  in  the  letter  the  promises  made  to  them  by  the
late  Minister  of  Health  with  regard  to  their  financial  commitments ­
  ?
Mr.  Chamberlain  :  "  Undertakings  given  by  the  Government
are  not  affected  by  changes  of  individual  Ministers  and  the
Government  have  no  intention  of  departing  from  any  pledges
given  to  local  authorities  with  respect  to  financial  commitments
entered  into  by  them  with  the  approval  of  the  Ministry  of  Health.”
Mr.  Thomson  :  “  If  local  authorities  are  anxious  to  extend
their  health  services,  will  the  Right  Hon.  Gentleman  see  that
they  are  not  restricted  and  curtailed  by  the  Government’s  economical ­
  policy  ?  ”
Mr  Chamberlain  :  "  No  pledge  will  be  dishonoured  because
there  has  been  a  change  of  Ministers.  That  does  not  mean  that
the  policy  of  the  Government  as  explained  in  the  circular  issued
in  the  Autumn  will  be  altered.  In  view  of  the  present  financial
situation  the  economical  restrictions  imposed  by  the  Government
must  continue.”
The  form  of  the  reply  is  significant.  It  is  clearly
an  intimation  that  housing  was  to  be  curtailed  by  the
economic  policy  of  restrictions  put  forward  by  the
Government  in  the  Autumn  of  1920.  Mr.  Chamberlain
overlooked  the  fact  that  he  had  told  Mr.  Billing  that
Housing  Schemes  would  not  be  affected  by  the  new
policy.
The  reader  has  perhaps  had  his  fill  of  the  sonorous
insincerities  emitted  by  the  Coalition  Government
from  1918  to  1921  when  they  wished  the  electors  to
believe  in  their  good  faith.  Let  us  contrast  with  these
a  few  of  their  later  utterances,  which  probably  represent
more  faithfully  their  true  souls  :
Hear  first  Sir  Alfred  Mond.  He  is  speaking  to  a