22 OCTOBER 1927, Page 2

The passing of the million mark in the building of

new houses in England and Wales has earned general praise for Mr. Neville Chamberlain. It seems that the millionth house was built some time ago—towards the end of - September—and the actual number of houses built since the Armistice is now roughly 1,024,000. The rate of building had been so speeded up that more than 52,000 houses were built 'in one month alone—last September. Everybody knows, however, that there was •a special reason for a tremendous spurt in that month. The subsidy was about to be reduced ; in hundreds of instances there was an exciting race with time to capture the subsidy before it was too late. In spite of the presence of this peculiar incentiVe. one cannot help feeling proud of whit can be done by a much abused industry when it really works "all out." The proof is plain enough that there are no housing problems, of whatever sort, in this country which- cannot be successfully tackled.