Many State Houses ‘Not Cared For’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31152, 31 August 1966, Page 3

Many State Houses ‘Not Cared For’

CNew Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 3ft.

A Government member of Parliament said today that many people who had been allocated State houses should show more care for them.

Mr H. R. Lapwood (Rotorua), speaking in Parliament during the debate on the housing construction estimates, said that some who put their names on housing allocation lists were undeserving. “Many of those who have been allocated homes should show more care and respect for them,” said Mr Lapwood. Mr A. J. Faulkner (Opp., Roskill) asked to go on record as dissociating himself from “an attack on Statehousing tenants” by the member for Rotorua. There were good tenants and bad ones, but generally to attack people in that way was deplorable, Mr Faulkner said.

The Minister of Housing (Mr Rae) said Mr Lapwood had not made a general attack, but had spoken of a minority “We do know a small number neglect the property,” the Minister said. A negligent tenant was noticeable because of the well-kept property around him. “He made me a little bit annoyed,” said Miss M. B. Howard (Opp., Sydenham). “For every bad tenant there are hundreds of good tenants.” Dr. A. M. Finlay (Opp., Waitakere) said the member

for Rotorua should not classify people who damaged State houses as a type of people who did not deserve houses.

If the proportion of people who damaged State houses in the member's area was unusually high, the member should try to find the cause of the trouble. Mr Rae said Opposition members had misrepresented what the member for Rotorua had said. Mr Rae said State tenants as a class did look after their property and it was often a source of annoyance among State tenants when one of them mistreated his house.