DIVORCE FIGURES FOR N.Z.

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28269, 6 May 1957, Page 12

DIVORCE FIGURES FOR N.Z.

1472 Decrees Granted In 1955

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 5.

Most divorces in New Zealand are undertaken by persons who have been married between five and nine years, according to figures in the report on the justice statistics of New Zealand for 1955, released by the Department of Statistics. In 1955, 438 decrees absolute were granted to persons in this group as compared with 134 to persons who had been married fewer than five years, and 318 to those who had been married between 10 and 14 years. Only 21 decrees absolute were granted to persons married more than 14 years. The total number of decrees absolute granted w*as 1472. The most widely used were adultery and separation for not less than three years. The trend of divorce figures over the last 10 years is almost impossible to set forth fairly as changed legislation in 1953 has made comparison almost meaningless, the report says. Nevertheless, a decrease is shown in the total numbers of divorces sought and granted since 1952, when the downward trend, which began in 1947 after a sharp increase during the war, was checked by a rise of 6.4 per cent, on the 1951 figures.