LESS LITIGATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 434, 17 February 1909, Page 9

LESS LITIGATION.

FEWER DIVORCE SUITS IN GREAT ! • BRITAIN. ' Features of the litigation of 1907, aecal'dinfe to tho roport of Sir John Maccltiiie.il, a Master of the 'Supreme Court, recently is sued, arc:— . /; A decline "in-the 1 total proceedings .begun in. all courts. A great decline in the business on circuit, j A-:-decline 'in petitions for dissolution of .marriage, .bankruptcy proceedings, and couiity court plaints. '. ■;, / ■ A great increase in workmen's componsation cases. . A slight increase in Chanoery and King's Bench proceedings.' Only .784 divorce petitions were instituted against ,767 in 1906; in that year 650 decrees: vero granted, .but in 1907 only 593. This is, considerably below the average for tho iivo years 11)03-7, which is 623, but above ; , the; average for the preceding five years, 532. ; ' "■ , : ' : Of the. decrees nisi 332 wore on tho husbands' petitions and 226'0n tho wives'. Iu 351 petitions there -were, no .-children of the. marriage and-in 21U ; otlly one child had been born.' ''' i : There.was a; slight ihorease in, 1907 of decrees for judicial separation, and tho separation orders by: rose from 6i)6S to 7103. , • The 'total of proceedings begun ill all- courts, in I'JO7. was 1,449,579 agamst 1.452,765 : in 1906, and of actions determined .460,502 against 467,462. ' ,Tl\c actions hoard 'thus numbered thirteen per 10C0 of the I population. ,