THE  HOUSING  QUESTION

119
Those  are  the  words  of  an  honest  man.  No  wonder
Sir  Alfred  Mond  fails  to  understand  them.
Mr.  Trevelyan  Thomson  hit  the  nail  full  on  the  head
in  the  same  debate,  when  he  said  :—
.  .  Why  cannot  we  afford  it  ?  ”
Sir  F.  Banbury  :  "  Because  we  have  not  the  money.”
Mr.  Thomson  :  "  Did  we  tell  that  to  the  bondholders  ?  Surely
we  are  as  much  pledged  to  provide  houses  as  we  are  to  provide
interest  for  those  who  found  the  funds  for  War  Savings  Certificates
and  War  Loans.  When,  a  few  weeks  ago,  it  was  suggested  from
these  benches  that  economy  might  be  effected  by  cutting  down  the
rate  of  interest  which  was  being  paid  on  War  Stock,  a  tremendous ­
  howl  went  up  from  the  economists  on  the  other  side,  and  I
agree  with  them.  But  I  ask  that  the  same  fairness  and  justice
of  treatment  in  redeeming  promises  which  it  is  desired  to  give
to  those  who  invested  in  War  Stock,  in  response  to  pledges  given
to  them,  shall  be  given  in  respect  of  the  promises  to  the  men  who
went  overseas,  and  who  were  told  that  when  they  came  back
they  should  not  suffer,  that  houses  fit  for  heroes  should  be  found
for  them.  .  .  .”
Sir  Frederick  Banbury,  replying  to  Mr.  Thomson,
gave  the  true  Coalition  reply  :—
"...  I  am  glad  the  Hon.  Member  for  Middlesborough  (Mr.
Thomson)  is  in  his  place,  because  he  commenced  his  rather
unbusinesslike  speech,  if  he  will  allow  me  to  say  so,  by  stating
that  we  had  made  promises  to  pay  interest  to  people  who  had
invested  their  savings  in  war  stock  and  that  when  people  suggested
that  that  interest  should  be  cut  down  the  answer  was  that  promises
had  been  made,  and  I  understood  the  Hon.  Member  to  say  that
he  agreed  with  the  people  who  objected  to  the  interest  being  cut
down,  but  he  thought  that  because  promises  had  been  made  to
build  houses  the  State  should  carry  out  those  promises.