Mrs Trumper Speaks Out

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 66, 19 March 1938, Page 4 (Supplement)

Mrs Trumper Speaks Out

By - - - Mary Maclver

" n/ELL, we went to have a look TV at the State houses yesterday, mum," said Mrs Trumper. You certainly had a nice day for it, ' I encouraged. "What did you think of them?" "Fine," she replied, "it was a lovely outing. You see, a friend came and offered to take us fer a drive, and seeing as how we've put in fer one of them we thought we might as well take a lookover. We couldn't get inside, of course, but we had a good look round. You should hav« seen the crowds there; quite one of the shows about town.'' "\\ hy ever do you want to go and live away over at Orakeil asked. 1 was thoroughly alarmed, for if Mrs. Trumper went to live over there she certainly wouldn't be able to "do" for me, and life without Mrs. Trumper would indeed be desolate. "We don't want to go over there at all," she said as she paused for breatli before making a second onslaught on the cobwebs. "Then, why ?" "We won't get the chance," she soothed. "There's ten times the number of people applying as there are houses; Alfred pays better put in fer Orakei and then when we put in fer Ellerslie— that's where we really want to go — they'll be able to see we're keen and we'll get one all right." Alfred's reasoning sounded very muddled to me. but then perhaps I hadn't a trained mind! "What would you do if you did get one at Orakei?" I asked. "I don't know. I'm sure: that 1 could be a corker; but we won't and in one way we won t mind if we don't because they're so grand. Why. Alfred come home the other night with the ' Star' and he' says ter me: 'I'm real sorrv we put in fer one of these houses. We'll never be able to afford it; listen to this.' '"Why can't we afford it?' I said. 'We can pay the rent, can't we?' * ' It's not only the rent, mother,' he says. ' They're going to take some living up to. Listen, six power points— no less—two in the dininjr room, one fer the radio—that's all right—and one fer

the electric heater! Now, where's the heater coming from? We ain't got no heater; we stay in the kitchen as long as it s warm from cooking the dinner, and then wo go to bed—it's cheaper. "' There's power points in the bedrooms. What's them fer?' asked Alfred. I told him they were fer the vacuum cleaner. " ' Vacuum cleaner,' snorted Alfred. V\ h\. electric curlers would be cheaper. \ou 11 be such a lady looking after vour own house, you'll have no time ter go out to anyone else's house: and how - ]] we pay the rent? Electric curlers, indeed, you'll be waving your hair all da\ Ion?. I told him I said * cleaner, 1 not ' curler,' but he wouldn't listen."

A vision of Mrs. Trumper perched in front of the mirror wielding an electric curler flashed before me and filled me with mirth. Her hair had ever been innocent of any wave, but if she decided th deal with it the result might be startling. A pity the authorities couldn't know what temptation they were about to place before unsuspecting females! ~ Mrs. Trumper went on with her story and my mind came back to what she was saying. "'A light at the head of the bed fer reading.' says Alfred. 'I suppose they'll want an extra Cd a week fer that. And this beats all, a power point in the drorinjr room! Now, I ask yer! What are we going ter do with a drorin* room? I'll have to go and shave and put on a collar and tie. I suppose, before I can sit in the droring room. Yer don't catch me payin' rent fer a ro'im we can't use.' "I told him we'd use it. all right," said Mrs. Trumper. "but it would be a bedroom, not a droring room."

I could see that she was well in her stride and that there would be no stopj pinj; her until she had had her say. | "There's too many fal-de-lals in them 'houses altogether; no wonder the car- ! penters had a strike; 1 suppose it was | a stay-in strike—they're so fashionable ! just now. Trust the carpenters, they I knew a thing or two, they did, waitin' , [till the houses were nearly finished ; before they st ruck. Mighty comfortable j they mu-t have been with all the latest j conveniences. - ' j "But I don't think it was a stay-in ; strike. Mrs. Trumper,"' I ventured. '"Well, it's a wonder if it wasn't, I'm ! «ure. | "There's some sort of garden scheme, too. m make them all nave the 1 same kind of gardens. Now. Alfred'!: I never stand fer heinjr told what he's :ter do with his garden. He's fond of I his garden. Alfred is. They sar an Englishman's home is his castle. Well,; Alfred's garden is his castle, all risrht —| if ycr sret my meaning, mum—and he won't stand fer no interference. And i everybody doe = n't want ter live in rho same kind of house."' she went on. "It"= silly of the Government to think we j can. some can pay fer all these fancy; sradgets and some can't. And there's 1 plenty of poor people needing houses badly who can't pay the rents thev're asking. "Why. th ere's a poor woman : n our street who«e husband has l>een on sustenance for three years. There ar? six of them in a four-roomed th - boy glppps i n the living room, and two 1 srirls of eight and ten sleep in a sincl rt bed: and another £rirl on a settle. Vo «hort fer her. They've no room fer more bed«. "They need a larger h.>ti«e badlv and they can't' pav fer fan'-v touches'; but surely in New Zealand the children should bo able to sleep in comfort. "A plain house end a plain rent fer! some people. "The Government'!! never mnke us nil the same." concluded Mr*. Tnnnper, ".no matter how hard thev tries."