ALLEGED CHILD SLAVERY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17062, 5 February 1921, Page 2

ALLEGED CHILD SLAVERY.

I THE HALSWELIi CASE. Before Mr S. E. McCarthy/ S.M., at the Magistrates Court'.yesterday, John Williain Clark, a Halswdl farmer, was clmrged, on remand, mtft having, within a period of sis montlhs, lwing the parent and having the custody of Jivmita Clark, aged 12, and Aland Clark, aged 11, wilfully.ill-trea,,-ed them in a. manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering. «- Mr It A Cuthbcrt, who appeared for the ■defendant protested against the war in which the ease had so tar been conducted. Certain statement* damaging tho reputation of his client, had gone before .the public, and only the one side, had been &«*»•, \ plea of not guilty was entered. «TJie police- were given leave to amend' the cl-irge so that ilhat concerning each child could be taken separately. Juanita Clark, twelve years on April last, stated that she had at BJsweli tor eighteen months wiuh. h.r f-.itfier. She had to work on the farm a the command of her fctfiicr. ghe r«J each morning at about o adock. faho had to get a cup of tea and tnennuj seven or eight cows. After her mother left the -house-she had ten or elcyeu cows to milk. She would to kept m>U- ' in<r till about 8.30 a.m. or 9 a.m. Alien she finished, she had to feed pigs sometimes, and also wash cans occasionally. After this she would go home for breakfast. She would then wash dishes and clean the kitchen, after which she would Sre the dinner. These statement* were made regarding tho tone her mother left, at which time she was nogoing to school. 'Her father somoamea carted hav; sometimes witnes* did. This was also the case regarainjr driving the horse." She also helped her father to cut a gorse hedge, witness stacfc;ng the gorse as it was cut. The gorv» would also cut her legs, bho and her father pulled up the mange s in tne morning.. In the afternoon the would wash up dishes and get tea readv. She then got the cows in for milking. \\-henthe cows gave trouble, her father told «ier to screw their tails. He said that if «ho did not screw tho tails enough lie would give her a hiding. He never hit her With a stick. Sometimes ha struck her over the Standi. He would also hit Jier anywhere about the head and ears. On one occasion ho bit her with a si-rubbing brush which he held in his hand. She remembered showingto Mrs Greed a wound she. had on her leg, caused by 'a fork sticking m her leg. Wer father put a pitchfork of !hny «n. a drav, the fork entering her leg while* she was stacking, the hay. lhe | fork was in-her .father's hand when the I fork entered her leg. If might have been an accident on her father's part. He knew that the fork stuck into jier. Nobody attended to the, injury, and witness continued to work for the_rest of the day. The leg pained her a littte. complained to liar mother and i'xrs Greed. Her mother used to growl au her father sometimes for his treatment of. witness. Witness-would ■usually finish milking at about-9 p.m. •AIM that sh«- would have to dean cow. bails and •w'aali- buckets, these taking till about 9.30 p.m. She generally got-to bed abeui 10 p.m. This occurred at iur her mother had left. When milking, witness sometimes fell asleep, lor doing this," her father on one occasion "hammered her. She once had to drive rows from Little River to Halswell, a distance of 38 miles. There were nve or six cow* and'calves. She was on the mad from two and a half to.three days. 'Tier father took her to Htfclo Barer-in •the -car, and gave her lunch tor tho first day. She got her other meals from Mrs Greed, of Birtfling's Flat. »to slept at Mrs Greed's the first night, and continued driving at 8 o'clock m thv, morning. Tho noxt night her .father met her at Tai Tapu and took her home to sleep. She had had to drive cows ( from Little River on three occasions. ; The farm at Harwell had 60 acres, and that at Little River' 100 acres. Witn- --> ■ was about 8 or 9 when she started milking. ' Maud also used to ba.il up the. cows, her father telling her to do soShe used to rise half an hour after witness, and help to clean up the rooms or the house. )Vhen the mother left, witness and Maud did the housework. Sometimes her father helped witness to got the meals ready. ■ He sometimes gave Maud a thrashing with his hand. Witness once ran away because or a "hiding" her father gave her, another being promised her the following morni ing for not milking quickly enough; _ Cross-examined by Mr Cuthbert, the child said that she liked school very much. She liked being home before her mother ■ left. She had ' only been kept from school on one occasion that she" could rememuer. She always had good food at home. When her mother was at home, both her mother and. father milked more cgws each than she did. When tho fork entered witness's leg her father was angry, but she did not know whether or not he had done the -act intentionally. Her father once hit her over the back with a. leg* rope. Regarding the trip from Little River, tho first day she walked to Mrs Greed's house, a. distance of ■ seven miles. On; tho other nights her father picked her up. on the road and took her home to sleep, v • Elizabeth Anne Green, of Ha.lswell, gave ovidence as to seeing the girl milking at 5 a.m.. The children were always screaming, and she had seen Clark hitting them over the- head. After the witness' had been crossexamined, the further hearing of' tke case was adjourned until 2.15*.p.m. on Wednesday. \