THE HOUSING QUESTION.
(To THE EDITOR or THE 8VITTATOR..1 Sta,—If the State is going to build houses at to-day's coat for building them, must it charge rents calculated on the present cost of building? If it does, will not the rents of houses already built rise to the same level as the Government-built houses? If the Government does not charge rents based on the present cost of building. then will not the Government have to build all houses in future? If the Government is prepared to loss money on every house it builds, will any private person or firm desire or attempt to follow the example of the Govern- . meat? When the Government was negotiating for the purchase of the Duke of Bedford's property, did not the Government ask the Duke's agent to raise the rents, which were so low that the Government could not compete? Will the Government similarly ask all holders of house property to raise present rents to a level at which the Government will he able to com- pete? or will the Government lose money and be left the only builder of houses? or will the Government lend money for nothing, to the extent of, say, one-half to two-thirds of the present cost of building ? The Government is already subsi- dising bread. Will it also subsidize house rents ? Does not the present uncertainly on these points stop all building opera- tions? How will the Government solve the difficulty which it is pledged to tackle ? Even before the war the difficulty was great, and building was at a standstill, because (I) either you lost money on building houses; or (2) you charged more rent than for similar homes already built; or (3) you could put up the rent of your older-built house to the same rent RE your newly-built Louse. Therefore, you either lost your money or created discontent, and ended by doing nothing. At least.
that was the ease of, yours, Ac., E. I.. Oltvsa.
The Waterhouse, FBollinglon, Macclesfield.
P.S.—The value of existing houses to-day, based on cosi, must be two or three times what it was, say, ten years ago.—E. I,. O.
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