THE  HOUSING  QUESTION

61

How  many  houses,  not  the  excellent  cottages  which
have  been  built  by  Local  Authorities,  but  just  the  good
old-fashioned  sort,  would  they  have  built  ?  How  many
—with  prices  what  they  were  and  the  clamour  for
building  and  repairs  by  rich  firms  and  individuals  what
it  was  ?  Shall  we  say  a  thousand  a  year  ?  It  would
be  a  sanguine  estimate.
What  has  been  done  by  private  enterprise  in  America,
Germany,  France  and  Italy  since  the  war  ?  Practically
nothing.  This  fact  is  known  to  every  authority  on  the
subject.  And  British  private  enterprise  would  have
done  about  as  much.  Will  those  who  oppose  housebuilding ­
  on  estates  by  Local  Authorities  tell  us  by  what
other  means  modern,  healthy  lay-outs  can  be  secured  ?
Of  recent  years  builders  of  middle-class  villas  have
found  it  has  paid  them  to  introduce  some  kind  of
art  and  amenity  into  the  lay-out  of  an  estate.  But  is
it  likely  that  speculative  builders  will  take  the  trouble
or  afford  the  expense  to  do  so  in  working-class  houses  ?
They  will  do  what  they  must  to  comply  with  local
building  by-laws  and  no  more.  The  practice  of
converting  Britain  into  a  crowded  and  insanitary
ant-heap  will  duly  proceed.  It  has  “  sufficed  "  in  the
past.  Why  should  it  not  “  suffice  "  in  the  future  ?
And  now  for  the  fourteenth  and  last  excuse.
The  Law  as  made  in  the  1919  Housing  Act  was
clear.  It  became  the  statutory  duty  of  Local  Authorities ­
  to  submit  and  carry  out  an  adequate  scheme  for
housing  the  working  classes  in  their  area.  It  was
further  provided  in  the  Act  that,  if  a  Local  Authority