The Committee expresses the opinion that the only way to
ensure the necessary co-ordination between the employers, the operatives, the local authorities, and the Government, is to set up a National Housebuilding Committee. This Statutory Committee would be the supreme authority in regard to desigii and construction, the methods of obtaining tenders, of placing contracts, and of ensuring prompt settlement of accounts. It is also recommended that contracts for building should be spread over the largest number of employers, including the small employer. So far so good. We agree that if there is to be Government control—and in the circumstances it is generally accepted as necessary—the control must be adequate. It must not be half-hearted. We do not want to dogmatize on the matter, as Mr. Wheatley's statement, which is expected on Wednesday after we have gone to press—we go to press a day earlier than usual this week— may put a different complexion on everything. We may say, however, that though it is satisfactory to find the unions admitting that the number of ,men engaged in the trade is insufficient, they do not, in our opinion, go nearly far enough when they recommend that apprentices should be admitted in the proportion of one to every three craftsmen, and should be accepted up to the age of 20 years instead of the usual 16 years.
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