CHILD SLAVERY ALLEGED.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 December 1920, Page 11 (Supplement)

CHILD SLAVERY ALLEGED.

VOUN'G GIRLS' IC-HOUR DAY. Serious allegations of cruelty to two girls, aged twelve and eleven years, were made in the Juvenile Court at Cin istchurch recently. The evidence taken went to show that the father of the children, who was in good financial circumstances, had forced them to do all his housework, besides milking . twelve caws daily. Their hours of work per day had averaged sixteen. On occasions he had thrashed them for falling asleep at their tusks. The -Magistrate, Mr. S. E. McCarthy, adjourned the ease in order to give the father an opportunity of answering the charges.

Sister Kditli Walton, secretary of the Society for the Protection of Woman and Children, she received a report on December 11 from the inspector of the Charitable Aid Board that a young girl, aged twelve years, had run away from her home in Halswell. Witness questioned the childj and found that she had been milking twelve cows, night and morning, for some time past. She had never milked less than five, and sometimes as any a3 fifteen. In addition to this, she had been doing the housework to the best of lier ability with the assistance of her sister. On several occasions she had fallen asleep from sheer weariness whilst milking, for which she was thrashed. Her sister. .aged eleven, had taken over her work after the elder girl's departure. She fell asleep one morning whilst preparing breakfast, for which she was thrashed.

A bright-looking girl of twelve, the eldest of the family,. stated that she had lived with her father at Halswell. Jlcr mother was ill, so that she had to do the housework, in addition to milking twelve cows night and morning. She started at 5 a.m., and went to bed about 11 p.m., and sometimes at midnight. "Sometimes I went asleep while milking the cows," she said, "and then father gave me a hiding with his hand, or a leg-rope, or anything be could get hold of." ire had also struck her mother, and even whilst she was ill had used very bad language to her. Her father had sent, her to a farm Sfl miles distant, driving five or six cows all the way. The trip took two or three days, and at night she had stopped in a house by the way. Her father brought her back in a motor-car. She had worked early and late, winter and summer. ,

The second girl, a child of eleven, said that she had cooked the dinner since her mother had been away ill. She started work at five in the morning, and kept on until nearly midnight. This had been going on for a long time. Her father had beaten her for going to sleep over a fire, hitting her oil'the"kg and pulling her hair. The other two children were too young to work, their ages being live and six respectively. •dr. McCarthy said that there was no need to call them as witnesses.

The children's uncle gave evidence that his brother was in a fair financial position. He owned two farms. Witness did not know why his brother was not present in Court, unless it ivas that he was ashamed to appear. Mr. McCarthy remarked that he should like to hear what the man had to say. "I don't see how lie can b - fit to have charge of these children," he said.

Constable D. Storrett stated that lie had examined the house and found it very untidy. Kone of the beds were made. The three children wero in the scullery, v/ashinc up. There was some food in the house—bread and butter and meat. There was some washing, which the second girl said she had done. Some time previously he had noticed the eldest girl on a stack, loading hay on to a dray. He had thought the work rather heavy for her. The place was a dairy farm, but, there were no men about the place. The father owned a motor car, and the house was one of the best in Balswell, though terribly neglected. Mr. McCarthy said the charge was a very serif);*; indictment against the father. lie understood the man was in the precincts of the Court, but he was not then present, and he would accordingly adjourn the ease until January !•> to give him an opportunity of meeting the charge. If he made no appearance then the children would have to he taken away from him. In the meantime the four children would be placed in a receiving home, and the father would not be allowed access to them.