HOUSING WITHOUT SUBSIDIES
Sta,—The key facts of this problem require to be faced realistically and In as National a spirit as our great Russian allies would employ, not Permitting any interest except the National interest in economic housing to intrude. The big key fact is that Cement is abundant whilst all other materials are scarce and getting scarcer, so concrete is dearly the economic
material to use—then let the planners use it to the fullest, and supple- ment it where required with other materials, like wooden or rubber treads to stairs, &c. Fireproof, vermin proof, durable, a material suit- able for " self help " in building, which many thousands of our returning soldiers, &c., can learn to use for simple plain concrete walls that make house building easy and economic. Then let every man or woman who is interested in this big National problem of housing, get a real personal knowledge of seeing how easily a plain concrete wall is built and note how quickly it is built, and how simple the plant required is—then, and only then, with a real personal acquaintance with a concrete wall (may be a garage wall, or a base wall for a greenhouse, &c.), is anyone today qualified to make speeches on housing, and such a basic knowledge of concrete wall building will very soon cut out all the glib and foolish speeches asking the Government to give them the tools and the scarce materials, when all the time good plain simple concrete walls are available all over the country.
Let us then get on with the building in each area, on National lines, the materials being at controlled economic prices, and the labour skilled, or in training, also at National economic rates of wages—as arranged by Government with the Unions, &c.—thus materials and wages being economic the costs of the houses are bound to be economic also, thus ensuring cheap rentals, the basis of all post-war plans for the better life. Many architects are doing little or nothing owing to the war, then let numbers of architects be enrolled to take charge of and supervise the depot training work as well as the actual buildings being built, as, if each architect is a " Master Builder," the success of the work under his charge is assured, and how can this skilled body of men better serve the Nation in this emergency? I have, of course, no interest whatever in any building material, but I believe the basic facts of the problem are
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