SCHOOLMISTRESS AND PHONOGRAPH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 726, 27 January 1910, Page 3

SCHOOLMISTRESS AND PHONOGRAPH.

A UECOED OF "GOD'S , OWN COUNTRY." ' ,

1 Th,e; glowing ■• accounts regarding "God's ; Own~;.Country":-MJiich.are: circulated: at Home induced .'a;'certain", schoolmistress , to luakeher'.'.way'to New-Zealand about four jea'rs ago,',but,' now, finding .that.it: is hot the .Paradise "she;imagined', it to. be 'her-soul,-is'full of.. indignation: ,::.■•.:. : At'.'■ the ::.Magistrate's 'jCourt,.: Christ church, she ..was sued.'for; two .instalmentsi' ,6n ; a r 'ph'onograph, ''interest, , : broken re,'cords; etcramounting to' £8 ■ 9s. ild.:'She .did',.not: : appear, -but- sent the following note! to: the. Clerk.'of the> Cqurt:—'';'. '';..';., thinking:it would be abenefit to' the country: children in training :th'e;; oar,: : as' they iaye , little A,ppor- ; :tunity good';music,: and T am' expected.:to' teach"^music-:in' the , school , . The committee objected; ; Jio.weveri ■ and as" Ilfound' I' could :iiot ; keep the 'hire" going ; when' the school did not reach. the .standard I'had expected, I- thought the ! niostjhonourable thing to do was to send it back;' , It;wos very little used. :• - :. "Since .coming to ':New 'Zealand; about four;years' agoMvo. have :on four ent, occasions tried .'to, settle' in ;a place,, but' as ho.' work could be , had ,we ; were compelled to 'sell"our,, belongings': : in■ order :'to get a little Ifood to ..enable us to aiist. .No other .word could be: used, as.,it: was taereJy ''existing,' it- wasn't living,- and as, a' result "my husband's: health /suffered. I obtained , niy; present employment ay«ar hgo;-;. It.is value for.£loß per annum, and I' have six' Children to : feed 'and clothe. I'cannpt'eipect to overtake ! my debts.in less , than'another year. :■ :.: . ! . , : :' . .)'■■■ ' f All. I. can say is ; that .New Zealand: is not a; country; for: strangers, 'either educated ;or : uneducated, as our .circumstances .go , to prove.: 'Wβ have -had' to' exist 'for •' four' > years' on> less than* : two. years'.,.work, and V that-at. -a^very , low rate::of pay. ..At',, present-, anyone coniing to examine; my enforced manner': of liy-iag-and -think that,l , aui a'school .teacher would' find , the. , position : a bit: ludicrous, ; as ,1' have .barely:necessaries.- "However,, the ■ old ■'maxim still; holds. good, 'Once ■■ a lady,-;always a lady:',..■;.';'.; ~ ...; ;:. : '.• ; "In , the';Old'.-. Country my husband could.keep his.family, and.there was ;no need for mo to work, and our name never had occasion;to be made public fordebt.or else,, but:.in. God's Own' Country.';.l?have had. to turn to, and ail I can.say. is, that/I am thankful my constitution has: not suffered, as much. . from the 'existing'.:. as... others of ,my family... We could pay. all bur. passages to. New Zealand, and: we. had-five children ranging from'. six {months -. to eight years.: :\Vo, were,not assisted in any way either, to .come ,, to. .New. -Zealand, .of- since -we'; arrived, and if-I had !my, passage money; again ;I would inquire what kind of-coun-try/it ' v;as before : L would. believe all the'reports : sent Home to the newspapers: It is a crying, shame to bring families,to a country like this" to starve ,them. Many a ;co!ony ; would, only ( be} too.:pleased to have a family':to increase the. population, and'would, .sec to it that the father would get work at his profession to. keep them .in food .and clothes. VWe had.;our eyes open as we' passed through. the Australian, cities—Adelaide; Melbourne,, and Sydney—and, we.,believe, that; if:we.could get back to either.one of:these, cities we' would get on all right. It. seems. to. me. there is nothing in New Zealand but boy,'cott.,;;l anv always.willing to pay when I fche means.". , ;; . ; .- -

.' The. letter cau«d a great deal'of amusement? in 'Court '' (states :*; the "Eveninc News'?), and as Mr.: Hosley, who appeared for plaintiff* could not produce an agreement to pay interest,,the cassi-was adjourned for,a week. .V . • ■