58 THE HOUSING QUESTION 
“ (6) The Ministry, soon after the inception of the scheme, 
began reducing its own standards, and continued doing so until 
contracts were stopped in 1921. The policy of reducing amenities 
was never publicly given out, and architects could only become 
aware of it by finding their plans and quantities, drawn up in 
accordance with the Ministry’s Manual, cut down in the office of 
the Housing Commissioner. 
" (c) Commissioners continually advised the Ministry against 
this policy of attrition. 
" (d) The control of the situation was all along entirely in the 
hands of the Ministry through the Memoranda which it issued to 
the Commissioners. Any detail of plan or specification which 
exceeded the instructions (to Commissioners) of the Ministry was 
as a matter of course cut out. Moreover, even if the plans were 
in accordance with the Ministry’s standard at the time they were 
submitted, yet, if the lowest tender exceeded the Ministry's 
limits, the amenities were cut down still further by the Com 
missioner under the orders of the Ministry. Not infrequently 
further excisions took place at the Ministry itself, after the plans, 
&c., had been passed by the Commissioner. 
" It must theref re be clear to any impartial person that the 
architectural profession is blameless in the matter. I am not an 
architect, nor am I now an official, and therefore may, perhaps, 
be considered to hold a neutral position. 
" Late Housing Commissioner 
for the South-West of England.” 
E. N. Mozley, 
Lieut-Colonel, RE. (retired). 
These three excuses are instigated by clever people 
who do know the facts (and like to misrepresent them) 
and are repeated by other people who do not. Running 
down men who work in the public service, whether 
Government or Local, is nowadays done by certain 
classes of society as a matter of deliberate policy. It 
is a clever game but an ungenerous one, and people