MEDICO AND MAID.

NZ Truth, Issue 471, 27 June 1914, Page 5

MEDICO AND MAID.

I Governess or Nurse Girl?

• A German Girl who Jibbed.

|; <Vr«m "Truth's" Dunedin Rep.)

'.{''. . > : ' ■"•'■ r • *-' At the Magistrate's Court, at Milton, Viast week, before. Mr; Q. ,M. Burton, fs,M., .Johanna Sfubkeman. or "Wieters, . 1 -claimed from Medico McCormlck the i sum of «49 8/-, On August 23, 1912, Jthe niedlcO'-man, she alleged, agreed employ her as nurse and goyerneSß \tor a, period Of three years, at a salary ;of £ 27 10/- for the first "year, £ 36 *for the second, ;£46 for the third, and ;at the end of the said term to pay her t return fare from New Zealand to her • home m the Vatcrlandt. The defon'dant failed to pay full salary for the ' second JjeajV an<l. on Janiiapj fit W,*' • vfronsiWY* Wsra|s<$ x .Ppti> tffwVWf used 1 | to r return;fare/He^Gbwnany^. v, therefore plaime^. dj^mages lp,-i and' -fiufev '£44; S/^' ■■- Law&r ißrasch ' ]«aw to plaintiff's Interest, and Lq.\vyer *Jlei<3 represetitedl 'the medicp; , ; - ' .''■**■ • Johanna Wieters, 'tendorlner.her evideuco m broken English and through «n interpreter, u^id she had been willing all through lo keep to |fyi contract. ' *"'?:' , The S.M. looking at the y&srman documents, found that p)alnf:|ft was j designated by the German wprfl| meaning ''help." Ci'l \ Witness continuing, suid she was engaged to take care of the children, to teAQji them German, and to help about the house when there was no other servant. She had told Mrs. McGormiok'B mdthejr, the Frau Winser, through whom the contract was made m Gerriiany, thas she hod undergone a severe operation and COULD NOT DO HARD WORK. Upon arrival m Australia sho discovered that her ticket did not entitle her tp go to Now Zealand, and, as a consequence, she had to borrow money t$- continue her Journey to New Zealapd. Medico McCormlck repaid this. $be voluntarily took on all tho houeeiyprk, as there vri\B no other servant at the time, and Mrs. McCormlok web kind then, although such work she had not contracted to do. She worked early and late. She respected the contract, and, was not diarespocttul to 1 authority, a.s mo many colonial maidens arc. Sho muy have boon slow at some toiigh work given her, but she was at least thorough m what sho did. Sho was even aeikcd to darn lovely Mrs. McCormlck's sweet smelling stockings before they were washctdl She had to do cook's work, had to drees threo children morning and cven■lng, do Mrs. McCormlck'K beautiful hair, and the heavy work of the house us -well.-. U Viont so far that plaintiff was actually sent to the beach to hunt for drift wood for lire kindling. Mrs. McCormlck became unfriendly and unkind. Witness went out with the ohlldrcn, but once when sho requested Home tlmo oft, Mr». McCormlck told her who did not brlnjr her out to N«>w Zealand TO GO QAPPINO ABOUT. Thorc had boon trouble over the wnnl! muttor of milk being spoiled through water gattliiK Into It , and plaintiff bought milk with her own small money to Hootho matters. Mrs. MelormJok i on) her 10 o)<?onth<> b«Uirmtm, but «htf could not do It; hliq had ftilntcd the previous nlgbt und had v bleeding from the nosy, and.Mr« Mc- : (,'ornilok told her to go. 'Hhe accepted tho dixmliMMil, telling Mm. McCormlck, that nho was fracturing 1 the .contract, «ml requesting her tox* homo to Germany, and, Mrs. McCormick nfterwnr<i« informed nor tfiui the medico man did not agree with tho dismissal, und later Mill, tlwrnedlco himself lold her that ml\« could «♦>• The MeOormlck'B admitted that the kldd!«*H Hkrd her und that her uhurgo of them wan Mpprovt'rt. »i\i Utwycr IteWr t ronutiated «>mnloymont uh ehtltlreni*' nuritv and I gcivcrni-HH, puylng two tnarkw. I oh- ' joclod tw tho wording of the docu- j menu which mudu It uppwir that 1 | wft» a "hfllp." ln«twt(J of a gov«-r- : nrti&i AHcr Jhc Ur*i ycur, I uakod Mri. McCormlck for tlm wuk<'h I wu« fnlltlvd to by the contract, but Mr«. McOormlck gave me six hundred j niurk», or £30, when It should have been 720 murkw. I vms iwUd at this Inoorrcct rate until dinmuwcd, ulthotiKh'l proumted agaimn U. I had long • wttlkn with the cljlldr^n, but never lind one evening to myself, and 1 wax Hot allowed out Hi nil IH7RINO THE FIRST KIVB MONTHS! Later,. J[> vra» once at Tu*c/t moutlv '' .. . „ n

once m Dunedin, ana once at Akatore Coast, but the children were always with me. I did toll Mrs.' McCormlck that I declined being a stop-gap after receiving notice. To Lawyer Brasch: Mrs. McCormick was always cross, When accused once of using dirty' washing^-up water I may have retorted that It was no worse than darning unwashed stockings. ■ < Kathleen Lang attested that Johanna Wieters was her general ser<vant now. She found the plaintiff willing and painstaking, hard working, civil and oblieingr.v' Sho was good tempered and cheerful, but did' hot seem very strong:. l s ia.inttfC was -getting 18/- per week. ' ' ' . ' Amelia Carey; When I went to Mrs. McCormick as. cook, I was told there was a German governess there. 1 believe that Mrs. McCormlck was always urging the plaintiff on. Plaintiff had to work / ■ FJTIOM C A,M TO 9 P.M. Wieters used to cpmpluin that she had no time to herself, and she used to suffer from bleeding at the nose, The doctor spoke to me regarding her, and I informed him that she was up happy.. She also u«ed to suffer from chll-' blulns nnd rheumatiam, owing*, to being out ho muoh, m the t <«M<l- svashhQuae, ,an<f thaving^ j10.5 ,tvo«j|i ■ .woollen clotno*B' m cold water iH,' winters' weather. I had refused to do this. Bertha McCormlck, tho medico's dear lady-like better half, lisped genteely that it was a "help" she wanted and not a governess. 'She did'not'desire Wieter's to work after 7 p.m. Plaintiff «ceraed qtllto satisfied with the 600 marks. ---650 -mark's was the yearly wage arranged m Germany. Relative to the soiled stockings, witness said it was quite possible that she may have worn stockings for half a day or so, and-llnding a nice little hole m them she may have naked ■Wioters to stop it u\t. When Wieters took over the general work »)ie became disrespectful. U she hud done her work quicker, she would have had more time to herself. "I came to the conclusion," said the respectable society dame of Milton, ''through her conduct, that Wleter's wished 16 compel me to dismiss her. I, however, bad no fault to Jlnd, but during the last month an impudent answer that' she would "Oo np more cooking" brought about dismissal. To Lawyer Brasch: I refused to allow her to go to a lady's house becauHe I -/und that lady were on visiting terrafi. 1 considered that if my servant also went on visiting terms a RATHWR" PECULIAR AND UNDKSI^ABLE SITUATION would have arisen. Medico McCormlck slated that he warned his cheap German maid that unless she stayed on sho would rlose her passage money. Thlft concluded the evidence, and the S.M. intimated that, having tho correspondence still to go through, us well afl an his notes, he would give a . reserved judgment.

An iatorcatlnp story was told to us hy tv Dun«dln lady the other day. "My husband had been suffering from a cold for Homo time and wiw boginnlnß to regard It as chronic when a friend recommended him to take Baxter's Luug PrcHorvor. The flrst doao gave relief, and before tho bottle was finished he was qulta cured," Thl* Is, not an isolated caso; Baxter's Liuncr I^eserver l« curing stubborn coughs and colds all over New Zealand to-day—and Jt will cure yours. Your storekeeper or ehemiut will supply you with a la lOd bottle or you can write for It direct to J. Baxter and Co., Chemists, Christchurch. 123