WIFE THE BREADWINNER

Evening Star, Issue 18141, 4 December 1922, Page 8

WIFE THE BREADWINNER

DISABLED .SOLDIER’S DIFFICULTIES. MOVING STORY OF THE WAR. A young New Zealander, a _ native of Chrislchui'ch, left these shores in 1913 to try his fortune in South America (says the ‘ Doiuiuioix 1 ). Wibcn 'the war brought the youth of iho colonies to tho help or the ■Motherland, ho was in Valparaiso, _ Chile. Ho wasted no time, and worked his passage to New York, thence_ to Liverpool where ho joined up with King Edward s Horse. Ho served in France for two years, and was severely wounded in the leg, the sciatic nerve being destroyed. It will be some time before he will be able to Wli]k with comfort. ■ He married in England, and on the arrival of tho transport at Auckland his wife gave birth to a child. Troopship regulations prevented her remaining where she was, and she was transferred to the south ferry boat, where the child died and tho mother nearly lost her life. They arrived in Christchurch penniless, and, through .necessity, the soldier was obliged to commute Iris English in return for £ls cash. Because ho married after his war disability was incurred his wife was precluded from getting a pension. Misfortune continued to dog their footsteps. Tho soldier could not walk, and his brave little English wife decided to become the breadwinner. She was an expert tradeswoman, and brought her disabled husband to Wellington, where _ the W r ar Relief Association secured them in a business suitable to tho wife’s training and

experience. Here they met with unexpected difficulty in tho attitude of their landlord, who wanted them put out in order that a friend of Ills should secure Hie lease of the business and premises. The landlord’s wife went to tho War Relief Association, and expressed surprise that the association should have loaned them such a largo sum as £350, giving it as her opinion that they would he certain to fail. The landlord won tho argument, and the War Relief Association established them in other premises. Three years passed. They paid their instalments of the loan immediately they became due. When the “slump” came along they ran into difficulty again. “ All wo could rako up for change to put in the till was 305,” the man wrote, “and all wo owned besides would not. have fetched £5 under the hammer.” They weathered tho storm, and last week sent in their last instalment—£66 13s 4d. The W’ar Relief Association gave practical expression of its admiration of their battle by refunding thorn £4O by way of grant.

“ I do not know how to express my thanks for all you have done, and now you top it off with tho .grant,” wrote the soldier last week. “Our stock and fittings aro now worth more than double the amount of the loan, and wo have a good fighting chance to go ahead. I am going to give up trying to thank you in proper JatVguagc : but please l>alieve that we are both more than thankful for being placed in a ‘belter ’ole,’ and hope you will still take an interest rn us as usual.”