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30 BLOCK DWELLINGS.
It is obvious, that eleemosynary house-building by public
bodies, unless it undersells commercial enterprise, will accomplish
nothing. That, if it should undersell commercial enterprise,
all such enterprise will be stopped. Pursuing the chimsera of
building unlimited house accommodation for the working classes
wholly or partially out of the rates, would draw multitudes of
unemployed people into London. It would abnormally lower the
wages of London workers, and lead the metropolitan ratepayers
into bankruptcy. The history of the "National Workshops" in
Paris should be studied by the side of schemes for eleemosynary
house-building.
It is obvious again, that the increased rentals under which
the working classes now suffer arise to a large extent from recent
enhancements in the cost of labour in the building trades. These
enormous, and to a great extent, artificial enhancements have told
also upon the rents of those dwellings which are occupied by the
ratepaying classes.