* 
THE HOUSING QUESTION 
in 
class—that the houses should be sold to the highest 
bidder. The Coalition Government has accepted this 
proposal, the inevitable result of which would be 
the ejection of the present working-class tenants and 
their replacement by better-off people. It is true that 
on 13th March, 1922, Sir Alfred Mond told the House 
of Commons that he would never be responsible for 
allowing their sale under conditions which would 
involve turning the tenants out. But how comes it 
that the Geddes Committee a month before reported 
as follows:— 
" The Minister of Health is in agreement with us as to the 
desirability of selling as many houses as possible'’ . . . but 
points out that the Minister has no power to make the sales 
effective.” 
When the Minister said this he knew well that no one 
would buy a house if the tenant was to be kept on at 
an uneconomic rent, and the payment of an economic 
rent for such houses is of course out of the question 
for the working classes. All he seemed to want was 
power to compel sale. 
It is fairly clear that by March 13th Sir Alfred Mond 
had realised which way the wind was blowing, and had 
set his sails accordingly, a fact which does more credit 
to his wisdom than to his courage. 
It is notable that on the 8th August, 1921, Sir Alfred 
Mond had told the House of Commons that he was 
giving every encouragement to Local Authorities to 
sell their houses. He added that this was subject to 
their maintenance as houses for the working classes.