WIVES' TALES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18239, 25 November 1924, Page 9

WIVES' TALES.

AND ERRING HUSBANDS. WORK OF MAINTENANCE OFFICER. In 1921 Parliament placed on. the Statute Book legislation entitled the Maintenance Facilities Enforcement. Act, Probably interest was shown at the timo by the few earnest persons who undertake social work and tho bringing to book of husbands who fail to maintain their wives and families, but the general body of newspaper renders soon forgot, if, indeed, the> ever knew, that there had been an addition to "the law." Parliament passed on to other subjerts iuwl in t-he-stress of debates on such momentous questions as members' salaries and the stopping of the Main. Trunk exjjress ati Oio, the Maintenance Facilities Enforcement Act was very naturally forgotten by the Hons© and by tho public. , But tho Bill had nob been fathered and passed in vain, for ail official hi tho Justice Department, some two years later, unearthed it, and, aftei' examination of its sections. _ sub-sec-tions and clauses, found that it niea-nt something. The result was that in January, 1923, a new position was created in t.he staffs of the Magistrate s Courts at Christ-church and Auckland by way of experiment;. The new position was that of Maintenance Ofhcer, and its duties were taken over, in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court, by tho Oliief Bailiff. During tho last two years tho experiment has proved a.n unqualified success. Similar officers have been appointed at Wellington and Dunedin, «md tho lor-al officer is finding that, his new duties warrant tho expenditure of more timo and energy than ho can giro to them. Comparatively few members of the great General Public, hare- heard of tho Maintenance Officer, and this _is «s it should be, if there is anything in tho theory that tho average marnago is a happy affair, and that tho others ■are the exceptions, despite the fact that they arc given the most publicity over tea-tables and in Court reports. But there are several hundreds of erring husbands who know tho Christchurch Maintenance Officer only too well, for their own peace of mind, and there are several hundreds of deserted wives who have found him a real friend and his counsel of real monetary value. These men and women are members of that class in society which gives excuse for the ovor-green freshness of tho topic "Is Marriage a Failure?" —they«re the wives who liavo proved the truth of the adage that "no man is a hero to his wife ' and tho husbands who have learned that it is truo that two can live as cheaply as one, but, unfortunately. not for so long. They have recourse to law, a number of misty things. «"<-re said on both eides, in Court, and the Magistrate makes an order compelling the husband to contribute, towards the support (f his wife. Thereafter the wife repairs at regular intervals to the Court and collects tho money which has been paid in by the husband who no longer shares his home with her. So Song as the payments are made regujlarly there is no hitch, but in many instances the payments cease, and that is when the aid of the Maintenance Officer is invoked.

The Old System. Before the advent of the Officer many women waited long hours daily in the precincts of the Court until they obtained an opportunity to pour their tale into the ear of an harassed clerk. There were tearful women, irate women, and. obviously nervous women, but they all had the same end in view—to put the machinery of the law in action against their delinquent husbands. In those days, not so long ago, it was no? body's especial business to advise the complainnnts. If there were ground# for issuing a warrant, the warrant would be issued. Often the arrost of tho husband followed, and often, too, his imprisonment, biit that did not benefit the destitute wives, financially. The complainant was often unable to Btate her caso without introducing lengthy and irrelevant matter, and the clerks, who had many other duties to perform, had not tho time to listen to long statements nor tho power to act on behalf of the complainant. If legal advice were required, tho women were advised to consult a solicitor, who would tako the necessary steps towards recovering tho arrears of maintenance. Many women wero actually destitute, and had not the wherewithal to pay solicitors' fees. They would ''let it go," allowing, at the same time, tho arrears to accumulate into large suin». It is not uncommon for a working man, on a small wage, to be some hundreds of pounds in debt, in respect to tho maintenance of his "separated" wife. In the cases in which legal assistance was sought, the foes entailed frequently cat up half the amount paid by tho husband under compulsion, and the wife suffered the loss.

Spirit of the Law. By the appointment of tho Maintenance Officer, the Government has made it possible for the law to bo carried out in the spirit of its intentions, rather than merely "in its cold, legal terms. The p9»t is one calling for tact, lirmness, a real knowledge of human nature and its failings, and a strong dash of human sympathy. Officers in the Department and social workers who know the demands of this work, agree that Christchurch has been fortunate 1 in having the carrying out of these, duties entrusted to the Chief Bailiff, a man endowed with all the necessary qualities for "getting results" with a minimum of friction and unpleasantness for all parties concerned. It is acknowledged by those who are in a position to judge that lie has a wide sympathy and an enthusiasm for achieving satisfactory results, to which he can give an unusual scope, by reason of the provisions of the Act under which he holds his appointment. To all complainants he gives an attentive hearing, and invaluable advice. But his duties do not stop at that, for, after being given authority to act as a wife's agent, ho writes to the husband, bringing under his notice his liabilities and the penalty the delinquent may pay for refusing to obey the order of the Court. It might be supposed that this work would be of a more or less stereotyped nature, but that ia far from true, for every case has its own special features, and the parties in each instance need particular treatment. Sometimes the knowledge that he is involved to an extent of some hundreds of pounds makes a husband reckless as to consequences to himself and careless as to the future of his dependents. The Maintenance Officer may, in such circumstances, advise, the wife to waive her claim to the big amount of arrears, which she would not, in all probability, ever receive, and accept current payments. This much achieved for the husband, it is then up _ him to make an effort to keep up rent payments. In other caseß ' be necessary to arrest a .mall ure to pay a amount, in order to j m P r . r . , The the necessity of the erring defaulting husband, g party, is also P"*"** mLfet easily, from injustices whkb though inadvertentl of the

act as an arbitrator between husband and wife, even going so far as to obtain the complainant's consent to a variation of the order which will reduce tho amount of tho weekly payment. In such an instance as that he prepares tho way for the variation to bo effected by tho Court wit!! a minimum of trouble to either party, and with a saving of a great deal of time to tho Court. This knowledge of the husband's affairs, while it protects the man from an injustice, knowingly or unknowingly inflicted by the wifo, and, of course, unwittingly imposed by the Court, also plays its part in disproving false tales told by tho husbands, who would, if they eould, tell a "hard luck" story to gain the sympathy of the Court or their wives. A Department in Embryo. Innumerable instances of the veiy real service done by the Alaiatessse* Officer could be cited, but It will» sufficient, in order to prove the of the work, to state that , .jl. quarters of the amounts Icvi Court are accounted for, and _ ber of maintenance tor." ** ly in the Court on gome 8 6 00 cases a** reduced by hatf. jfainteaanee OiSin the hands of the tJje cer at tho present volume o f tho a pproaeh»ng when Have to assistaßeC * * he wiH haveaVyarrivcd, for <**ult bas not B j'j; on entails a great rontinfwork, in addition to deal or * 0 f a n arbitrator s Swerf ln the meantime the Chief ntff cope 3 with the work singteKfd, and his little two-by-four oSke . "besieged daily by wives who do no, hesitate to unburden themselves of their- troubles, real and imaginary, relevant and irrelevant.