86 
THE HOUSING QUESTION 
The following quotations shew what the Government 
have said about these questions. We will see directly 
what they have done : 
From the official journal of the Ministry of Health 
Housing, dated 16th August, 1919. 
" Conversion of Houses into Flats. 
" The Ministry are prepared to sanction loans to Local Author 
ities to enable them to carry out schemes of conversion, and if it 
is found impracticable to render the Scheme self-supporting, the 
scheme will rank for financial assistance from the Government as 
part of the Housing Scheme of the Local Authority.” 
Extract from a reply by the Minister of Health in the 
House of Commons, 3rd August, 1921. 
" Where houses are being kept empty by owners for advantage 
ous sale in the future. Local Authorities have power to purchase 
compulsorily, and I have urged thousands of Authorities all over 
the country to acquire these properties wherever they can.” 
On 13th March, 1922, Mr. J. Jones, M.P., asked the 
Minister the following question as to empty houses :— 
“ Is the Right Hon. Gentleman aware of the fact that we have 
a number of empty houses in various parts of London, and the 
only way we can get occupancy is by buying them, and the great 
mass of people cannot afford to buy them ? ” 
Sir Alfred Mond, in his reply, stated that Local 
Authorities have power to purchase these houses. 
Similarly, when the House of Commons was, so 
lately as May nth, 1921, considering the clause of a 
Bill to authorise Local Authorities compulsorily to 
rent houses, which were deliberately being kept empty