STATE HOUSES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 20 January 1939, Page 3

STATE HOUSES

VISIT BY MINISTER SOME AMUSING MOMENTS I United Press Association! CHRISTCHURCH, 18th January. The rules that govern the actions of tenants in State houses provided some amusing moment in an official tour of State housing projects in and about the city made to-day by the new Minister in charge of them, Mr Armstrong. Suspended from the top of one front porch was a cage containing a canary —and canariets are alleged to be among the lists of prohibited pets. So far from trying to hide its presence from official sight, however, this canary sang lustily. When his attention was drawn to it the Minister smiled. “That gives the lie to the statement that you can’t keep canaries.” said the Director of Housing Construction, Mr A. Tyndall, amid laughter, and the party moved on, still serenaded by the canary. Further along, in the same group of houses, a potato patch in front of the house sown to prepare soil for a lawn to come was a playground for a small and very playful puppy—and dogs are also on the prohibited list. The official party smiled again—and moved on. As they moved on there were wider smiles when it was seen that the puppy was being disclaimed. Someone was carefully putting it over the next-door fence.

The Minister made it fairly clear throughout the whole inspection that punctilious observance of the rules was not a question of burning anxiety with him, and it was apparent that as long as neighbours did not complain no serious official punishment was likely to be meted out for any minor breach of the regulations so carefully laid down. Throughout the whole inspecition wherever occupied houses were seen the Minist3r was loud in his praise of the way tenants were tending to gardens and helping to keep their new homes looking to the best advantage.