"LIFE'S SEAMY SIDE."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14835, 11 November 1911, Page 5

"LIFE'S SEAMY SIDE."

A FATHER'S FAILING.

AND A MOTHER'S FOLLY.

One of those pitiful incidents that are fax' too common in the Magistrate's Court was witnessed yesterday morning. A young and neatly-attired woman named Mabel Barnett stepped up to the Bench to give evidence against her husband, a carpenter, named Joseph Henry Barnett, who - as charged with having deserted her, leaving her and her children without providing means of support. She carried into the Court a child who, during the case either sat in the mother's lap laughing, crowing and shaking her pretty golden ringlets, or ran about the floor prattling gaily, and playing happily with a little pink doll, the while Mrs. Barnett told her miserable story. It appeared that she had como out to Wellington from the Old Country some five years ago, and obtained employment in tea rooms. She met the defendant on some holiday occasion at Day's Bay, and a marriage followed. Then her husband started drinking, and no fewer than four prohibition orders had been taken out against him, without effect. Then ho cleared out and left her with two infants and no means of support, and she had never heard of him until he was arrested at'Petone and " brought back to Auckland. "Have you done your duty by him?" asked Mr. Kettle, the presiding magistrate. ; .... "Yes, I have; and he can't deny it. Can you?" the witness replied turning to her husband. • " Yes I can, replied the husband stolidly. " What's become of the man you're living with?" A man who has behaved better to mo than you have," was the reply, and the witness burst into tears. " When did you go to live with this man?; and why did you do such a thing?" asked the magistrate, amazed at the unexpected answer. " I went to live with him about two months ago because one of the children, who was delicate, was turned out of the Richmond Home. 1 did it to protect my poor children (sobbing bitterly). "Didn't it occur to you to go to the Salvation Army?" "I did, and they would, not help me." "Oh, that's all nonsense! I've known the Salvation Army for a good many years, and 1 know positively that they never refuse anyone. Then there's the society for the Protection of Women and Children; why didn't you apply to them before you took up with this man?" ' "I didn't think of that; but he's a man 1 never wish to see again man 1 detest" — "What! Do you really mean to say that?" exclaimed Mr. Kettle, ; more and more astonished. " Yes, I do; but I took up with him for my children's sake. "Oh, dear men, dear me! Trouble, matrimony, drunkenness, desertion, and then—this ! murmured His Worship with a sigh. " And, manfor I suppose you call yourself a man— - did you commence drinking, and then desert your wife? " • " Because I had a filthy home like a pigsty, and never had my meals ready." "Here! You stop that and tell the truth," said the woman, with intense indignation in her tones. . * Mr. Kettle (pityingly): You were driven to drink by that; and you call yourself a man! Driven to drink because your home was dirty—dear me, dear me! Well, what do you want to do now?" " I want to take the two children, for I can provide a comfortable home for them with my father, mother, and sister." i "No.you won't," almost screamed the weeping woman," " they'll not •bo parted from me, and I'll keep them!" Sir. Kettle said it was a sad case, but it would have to be handled in some way.' There was no doubt the woman had been badly treated." "Not by me," said the husband. " Not by you," roared His Worship angrily. " Why, you have admitted that | you have been drinking for years, and this is what you have driven her to, as your conscience will tell you. It's a sad, unfortunate business, and I don't know what to do with it. But you're earning £3 a week, and you'll have to pay your wife 25s a week for her support and that of your children. You'll have to find secur- , ity for your compliance with this order. If your wife does not conduct herself prolerly, or if the children are neglected, they will be put into a home." The case was adjourned until the following day to give defendant time to procure security. And the infant prattled to her doll all the while. A STATE FARM FOR WASTERS. EARNINGS TO KEEP FAMILIES. " If I had my way I'd have a farm of some thousands of acres, where I'd put you and men like you," said Mr. Kettle to a rough-looking young man named Wm. Albert Murray, who had admitted that he owed £48 for the maintenance of his child, and had given a long rigmarole about his honest attempts to procure employment, and his misfortunes in meeting with accidents which had laid him on the shelf. " I'd put you on the farm, make you work, and T 'd put your earnings away for the f>upj :of your wife and family. You're an absolute waster, for you don't want to work, and you should be forced to go on some Government farm to milk cows or plough or do something which will be reproductive. Later on I shall recommend the establishment of a State farm to which men who deliberately neglect to maintain their wives and children and waste their money in drink and gambling could be committed and compelled to . work, such men to be credited with the wages earned, and the money sent to the proper authorities for the maintenance of the wives and families, for the present process and system, in my mind, is by no means sufficient." Sergeant McKinnon: " And I quite agree with Your Worship that it's high time the present system was stopped— abolished completely. This man asks for a chance; if you give him a chance the probability is he'll clear out again, and the State, through the police will be put to the expense of bringing him back." "Oh no; I'll take care of that," said Mr. Kettle. " I'll impose a substantial term of imprisonment for this disobedience of the order of the Court. You, Murray, are ordered to be imprisoned for three months, but I'll suspend the execution of the warrant on certain conditions. Later on defendant's father came into Court, and entered into an engagement that if his son would come and live with him he would do his best to look after him. The sentence was,then suspended until further order of the Court. Defendant was prohibited for 12 months and asked to swear the good old-fashioned oath and '' kiss the Book " to a promise that he would not absent himself from the district without permission from the authorities, would report himself twice weekly to the police, and would make an honest attempt to get work and pay off his arrears of in3ebtedness, the father undertaking on his part to report to the police any delinquency in respect of the promise made by his son.