Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, JULY 26, 1948 BACKGROUND INFLUENCE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 73, 26 July 1948, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, JULY 26, 1948

BACKGROUND INFLUENCE

At Auckland on Thursday a Supreme Court jury, finding a man guilty of receiving stolen property, added a rider that the crime was directly attributable to deplorable living conditions. This man, with his wife and two children, lived in a room measuring 10ft by 12ft. There are people in this to\yn and at Ohope living under conditions that are comparable. They are respectable citizens. They hope their children will be. It is a fact generally accepted that early training and background are the main character formers. A child brought up under barely-civilised conditions in cramped quarters where there is no privacy for anyone and no* chance of its becoming acquainted with the refinements of gracious living is more likely to develop criminal tendencies than one who has the advantage of better background. . People compelled to live in cramped conditions find their - minds becoming cramped, their outlook warped. Without room to move freely, without room to relax comfortably, without those moments of absolute peace that any place worthy of the name

of “home” should be able to provide, their nerves are never at rest. ; Is it -any wonder that some, like dogs perpetually oh a chain, tend to turn vicious? Strong indeed is the character who can endure the conditions many have to endure today without their leaving their mark on health and disposition. Remarkable indeed would be the parent who could inspire in children the abiding love and pride in their home that can be such a sustaining forcb in after years. True, there been _ cases in history of grert men whose early privations have acted as the spur that made them great. Also true, the truly great have always been rare. They are not as other men, and their reactions to early environment were not necessarily normal reactions.

Weight of evidence does suggest that home background can make or break the average youngster, and some present day living conditions right here in this district are enough to break the toughest adult. On account of its rapid expansion, this place has a housing problem more acute probably than most other places of comparable size. Present State house building i activities - haVe ; no' chance of taking up the slack for years to come, nor of keeping pace with the town’s growth. Not every house hunter can afford to buy or -build. The urgent need is for more rental houses, and if the State cannot provide them, it is seri-

ously suggested that there is a case worth placing before the Government for their provision under co-operative private enterprise.