LORD REITH'S CHANCE
Sta,—I read with very great interest and pleasure Mr. Clough Williams-Ellis' article in your issue of October t5th, "Sir John Reith's Chance as Our National Builder." In this article he states that "Sir John's immediate function is no more than to act as a sort of burly Commissionaire restraining the queue of property owners." This statement I fear is inadequate. He has to be a super-burly Com- missionaire and to take up that post quickly to restrain the Minister of Labour and National Service "All along of (Civil Service) laziness All along of mess All along of doing things Rather more or less" from creating as big and scandalous a mess as Sir John Anderson did over the formation of air raid shelters.
I say this because a day or two ago I received from the Ministry of Labour and National Service a circular letter re "the Urgent need by the Ministry of the services of qualified architects." We architects have known for over twelve months the want of qualified men at the Ministry of Security and what it has cost the country in time and money—what it will cost the country from illness and disease, God only knows. We know the need of qualified architects (A.R.I.B.A.'s and F.R.I.B.A.'s of ten years' practical experience) "in areas which have been subjected to enemy air attack," but is the Minister of Labour likely to get such men as are required 14y Mr. Clough Williams- Ellis and the general public to carry out the work of planning and building a better England? I think not, for the Minister's letter states that the appointment of a "Qualified Architect," "which may be of short duration," will generally carry a salary of from £5 to £7 a week.
The Royal Institute of British Architects, in its recognised and printed "Scale of Professional Charges," contains the following:
(7) "Time Charges."
"In cases in which charges are based upon time occupied the tiflt mum fee is five guineas per day, exclusive of charges for assistants' time."
Clerks Of Works and Foremen are getting Do a week.—Yours
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