NOT ALL MILK AND HONEY!

NZ Truth, Issue 1052, 21 January 1926, Page 7

NOT ALL MILK AND HONEY!

, Life On The Land With Five Young Children and Nineteen Cows HUBBY "A DREADFULLY BAD MAN" \ „ ; ■■-.■■■■.'■. ■v - ,'•■ :.■■ (From "Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) Life on the land is looked upon by many dwellers m cities as one long dream of bliss. But only people regularly attending the Magistrate's, courts know how many cases come from the farming Class — and what the woman sometimes suffers. <■.■• ■' . . *

Marko Vujicich is a farmer. That is to say, he has about two hundred acres ' Up Henderson way, near Auckland. His wife made an application for 1 separation and maintenance, and the x case was heard before Magistrate Hunt last week. The first witness to tell of • the y .peculiarities of Marko' was Florence Johnsdh, a girl of fifteen who had at various .times, she said, been staying "* at the farm to help Mrs. Vujicich. ; Examined by Mr. Mervyn Clarke, she t told of frequent rows due to the husf band's bad temper. . I Witness described how he abused his I. wife, saying that she was no good and r Was going out with Chinamen, ' He ordered her out of the place and L threatened to shoot her. When things went so far that he handled both gun and cartridges Florence and Marie Vujicich locked 'themselves m a room. \ On November 2 he put his wife out l. at four o'clock m the morning. F The wife had five children and nine f cows to look after. L Looking far from strong, the wife r went into the box and told her story. She had been married eleven years and had five youngsters, the eldest '■* being ten and the youngest a little more than eighteen months. "What sort of a husband has he ' been?" asked Mi*. Clarke. "He's been awful," was the ex* , , pressive reply. "Even a few days - before the babies arrived he com-

pelled me to go down to the cowyard." She then went on to tell of the gun incident. "He said he'd shoot me; he wanted the children and hot me. I've had to go out four times for protection." ■•-•...•- --"Has he ever ill-used you??' queried Mr. Clarke. "He has hit me with a chair, a heavy kitchen chair, on my leg and hip, and kicked me. He vowed he would kick me to death. He's a dreadfully bad man." *? ■ - "How many cows have you milked?" "There have been as many as nineteen. When I was ill my little girl had to milk the cows and do the cooking." She had to kill two cows which her husband had left m the swamp till they were too far gone. To Mr; West, Marko, who spoke very fair English, said: "At a. certain time of the month, every month of the year she get different, and she use her hand and her tongue." But Marko will have to find some one^eise to do his farm work. Marie was granted separation and maintenance to the tune of £3 per week, and three guinea's costs were allowed. In her cottage under the shadows of the ranges the work-worn Marie may perhaps enjoy the holiday of her life.