MISERLY HUSBAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 April 1938, Page 2

MISERLY HUSBAND

SYSTEM OF “BOOKKEEPING” IN THE HOME.

Alleging that her husband's miserliness made her life “a hell,” the wife of an official in Vienna is suing for a divorce.

The couple, stated the. wife’s counsel, had been married only a few months when the husband began his book-keeping system. He worked out how many hours his wife worked a day—averaging the hours to cover illness —how much her labour was worth and the cost of her food and clothes. From these figures he calculated that during two-thirds of her waking hours, owing to indisposition, she never worked at all and he cut down her household expenditure accordingly-

Also, it is alleged, the husband: Deducted the price of small birthday presents he gave her from her housekeeping money; Cut off the water to save rates;

Had the stove taken away while his wife was in hospital to accustom her to a cold room and save cleaning materials;

Bought soap and household utensils wholesale and sold them to her retail;

Forbade her to light the fire until half-an-hour before he returned from work in the evenings. To show her how extravagant she was with soap, the husband one day. it is alleged, did the washing himself. The wife said that after this “economy” wash, she had to do all the washing again.

The husband maintains that his “bookkeeping” is a harmless hobby and that the allegations are without foundation.