BABIES ON THE DOORSTEP

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20728, 11 February 1939, Page 6

BABIES ON THE DOORSTEP

Not infrequently, an action commonly known as a “stunt” has a far-reaching effect on national affairs. Thus the mother who left her twin babies on the Hon. H. T. Armstrong’s doorstep has been the means of drawing nation-wide attention to the housing position and the conditions under which many people are living. That the shaft went home is indicated by the fact that the Minister in charge of State housing was so upset that he could not share in the general merriment at his expense. The incident, he said, was a serious abuse of the privileges he had hitherto readily granted of interviewing applicants for houses. Henceforward, apparently, any woman pushing a perambulator will not be welcome in the precincts of the departmental offices.

Whether he resents it or not, Mr Armstrong has under his wing a huge family of home : seekers. His Government deliberately undertook a housing policy which has resulted in the almost total suspension of private building. Therefore, even if twin babies are not left on his doorstep every day, thousands of people throughout the country are in his charge and waiting for his Government either to provide suitable and sufficient houses itself or to give the public sufficient confidence to build homes for themselves.

Mr Armstrong only succeeded in making his case appear worse by quoting statistics concerning those who are clamouring for houses. If 250 people called personally at his office in January, and if on Monday he handled 350 letters from unsatisfied home-seekers, that in itself clearly indicated that his policy of providing homes for all who need them is failing to reach its objective. Although those twin girls have been taken back to their inadequate home they are still in Mr Armstrong’s charge, and he will no doubt be caused figuratively to walk the floor at nights until he has found means of appeasing them. Perhaps he will seek the aid of private nurses in the shape of builders and investors. “Providing homes for all the people” is not the joyous task it once appeared to be.