This 1904 cartoon highlights some of the problems in the housing market. A lack of affordable and good-quality inner-city dwellings meant many poor families were paying high rents to grasping landlords for slum-like homes. At the same time elderly homeowners felt threatened by influential people calling for the razing of their dilapidated cottages. Such plans created the problem of where to re-house those whose homes were demolished. The cartoon suggests that private developers were reluctant to build cheap and sound housing because they feared tenants might trash them. The solution was for the city council to erect model homes for workers.