MOTHER OF THIRTEEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 17 June 1924, Page 6

MOTHER OF THIRTEEN

HARD TO FIND A HOUSE

GOVERNOR-GENERAL SOLVES

PROBLEM

The deep interest which the GovernorGeneral, Lord Jellicoe. takes in all classes of the community was shown by a report which came under flic notice of the members of a public body, says the Auckland Star. A mother, just 40 veai’s of age, who bad an unbroken line of 15 fine healthy children to look after, found it very difficult, on account of the size of her family, to get any house owner to lease her a dwelling, despite the fact that parents are advised to have large families and urged to keep the cradles full. It was a paradox that while the country cried out for more population, no one wanted to lease a louse to big famiHes. The case was'brought under the notice of the Governor-General, and it was one which greatly appealed to him as being of such a nature that the Government should stop in and help to aid those who were such desirable citizens. The solution was that the Advances to Settlers Department lias granted a loan so that a section may be bought and a suitable house put up in which to house the 15 souls. Hie interest ‘which will have tt> he paid proves more moderate than the rent which is now being charged. The mother on whom the chief duty devolves of rearing the big family savs that she would not part with one of them and that she is satisfied that every on.: of them will make a good citizen and that her day of leisure will come when they’ have all reached that age when they can provide for them selves. . The case of the mother cited above is onlv one of a considerable number of parents who have very large families who find the housing problem their chief difficulty, yet it is a fact that, the parents.of large families, when the children are healthy, are amongst the happiest people in the community.