“HEAD OF THE HOUSE”

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12431, 27 April 1926, Page 6

“HEAD OF THE HOUSE”

HUSBANDS AND THE CENSUS A MOST DELICATE QUESTION SOME AMAZING FACTS Now that the census has been duly taken and all good citizens have told, to the best of their ability, and with the utmost veracity (?) all that they know about themselves, the officials in the Government Statistician’s office are finding out some amazing facts concerning New Zealand’s population. Some of the mistakes and astounding facts on the papers are due to ’absolute carelessness—and some to sheep cussedness. There is a fairly large section of the community who has looked upon the Government Statistician as nothing more or less than an inquisitive man, who wants to know far more than is necessary. There are, however, many who have filled in the papers truly and accurately until they came to the question regarding who is ‘bead of the house.” Since the fair sex have begun to oome into their own, mere man has little left that he can lay claim to as being his and his alone. Therefore, who can he said to be the “head of the house.” This question has been the result of much domestic discord. Only a Tew days before the census papars were gathered in, a man, wearing a worried look, came to the Statistician’s office, aud asked if he could fill in the papers secretly so that his wife wouldn’t know what he had put down jn writing. It would not he hard to find the head of that household !

Then again, there are other husbands whose wives have given them full permission to nut themselves down as the “head.” The husbands have beamed with joy and -proudly proclaimed themselves as “head of my house.” The wife has smiled too—winter is coming on, and really, that’ fur coat in the shop window was not over expensive!. ** There is method in all a woman’s There are actually some women who have such a rooted objection to anyone hut themselves being described aa “head”; that they objected to allowing the guard to be put down as “head” when travelling on trains. They did not stop to think that the guard’s wife might object to the large family her husband sudd< .ily found himself burdened with. For the benefit of Mr Henpeck and those who are uncertain, the husband is the head of the house, so far as the statistician Is concerned. What the case is inside the home is, of course, a different matter.