THE COTTAGE. 141 



the Cottages Committee of the Wages Board, drew attention 

 to the fact that when the Rent and Mortgage (Restriction) 

 Act was repealed an employer would be free to charge any 

 rent which the worker was willing to pay so long as he paid 

 the full minimum wage in cash. The Order of the Board 

 dealt only with cases where a deduction from the wage was 

 made ; where there was no deduction the Order did not 

 apply. They could not yet tell what the standard of rent 

 would be, but he doubted if the number of new cottages 

 would be sufficient to fix the standard. The Wages Board 

 were in agreement with Lord Astor in desiring that the 

 labourer should be able to pay a full economic rent for a free 

 cottage, and as soon as either the completion of new cottages 

 set a higher standard or the rent of the old cottages was 

 forced up they would have to consider the matter with a 

 view to adjusting wages. 



Mr. Hobhouse observed that pre-war rents were not 

 economic and the cost of building at the present time would 

 necessitate a high economic rent in future. 



Mr. E. Selley (visitor) said there appeared to be two main 

 difficulties, viz., cost of building and ability to pay the rent. 

 He noticed in Note D a reference to average wages. They 

 must be careful in drawing conclusions from that as it might 

 happen that where wages were lowest the cost of building 

 might be highest. He pointed out that overtime earnings 

 and the value of produce sold off allotments should not be 

 taken into account when considering the labourer's ability 

 to pay the rent of a cottage. 



Mr. Wadman said that before the war he had built good 

 cottages for 500 a pair. He believed that within the next 

 seven years they would be able to build at less than the 

 figures now given. The law of supply and demand was not 

 dead and he thought that within seven years the majority 

 of things would get to within 25 per cent, of pre-war prices. 

 He did not agree that the present situation was serious, 

 except that they wanted houses promptly. There was no 

 occasion for pessimism. The country was in an extravagant 

 mood, but they must not expect to be in such luxurious 

 conditions as before the war. 



