THE MARINER'S HOME.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1471, 20 June 1912, Page 6

THE MARINER'S HOME.

AND HIS CHATTELS, .

STROKG WORD BY MR. KETTLE, S.Mt

;,y>J(DyvTeiicßr»pli.~PrcE3 Association.),-" V Auckland, Juno 19, >:. •: A'; somewhat "unusual case came bofort" Mt. Kettle in the Magistrate's Court this 'morning. ...The case was one in which a imarriod.inan, named Charles M. W. Holm-' ■ strom,' sought,to rccover from ■ •Johnston,and Co.,"a tinn of sccond-hanrl ; : '.dealers,'_a. sum of -.£BS, tin's being the. vnlu« . ."off fiiriiitn.ru purchased' by that.firm- with-, "out'his'permission. 7 'The magiiitrHte;romnrli'eil that this'w.ii' i-iinportant as afi'eoling interests of mavrie.l '' men who' have lo'.go te sea or away elsewhero and-leave their honi;-.-. . - I'laintifi, in the course of evidence, said, that he had been marriod for five years. About March last he found that iliev \v«n\ Retting into ■ debt. He had been ' V tW" habit of. allowing .£ls per month to liis * wife for housekeeping 'expend, and whoa, 'he asked her.to account*to him forcertaia' expenditures. she refused point blank to : do .so intimately, in order to get over:■their financial difficulties, they decided toi '.let the house'furnished, and ljoth go to 'work for six 'mpnths, at the end of which', period they agreed to come together again. -The furniture" in the house was insured in plaintiff's name. After making this •agreement with his wife, plaintiff went away on a trip. Returning to Auckland at; a later date he found that tho hom<r had been broken up, and that his wii'o and furniture had gone. He earned ,£l7 ■ per month, and gave h'is wife. £K. 4 Defendant,, a second-hand furnit.ur* dealer, went into the box and stated that; a man named Douglas liad calk'd to sej; shim, and had asked him'to see Mrs. I-folin--strom about buying some furniture. ', Witness went and.valued the furniture, ulti<i .' mnicly buying it for ,£SO. " ' In reply ■ to Mr. .Kettle,' witness said that it had not occurred to liini that tha . husband should have a say in the breaking up of the home, He-expccted to get. t M per. cent, on ■.'second-hnud furniture when reselling:

. Cross-examined by Mr; B'ack (who ap- ; jieared- for plaintiff), .witness admitted 3? that 1 Captain Holmstrom had called t0v..." wimi him not to sell the furniture."'" Witness hud refused to gi*> the goods bail;, ' ' nnd had shown plaintiff Mrs. Holinstrom'i; '£ receipt for the sale. ■■■i g Defendant's 'dork gave evidence i that?. - x some of the furniture was originallv pur- ■ chased by Mrs. Holmstrom. Violet Holmstrom, wife of plaintiff,?.,.?, was called as a witness bv Mr. (sohoitor for defendant). 'She Mated that. ■;%. she had purchased furniture from dc->'.' : K fendant 011 the time-payment system, and?.'#: had written to Mr. Johnston that she would have to return the property.'. ■ >. Under cross-examination, • witness ad-j. :: mitted having written: "1 have no money at present; 1 must feed my. children anfcK pay rent." 1 Later, ; sho also wrote: "On May 4th I. shall" receive a large sum'of W:a money." ■.. ■ . . ; .v; .'s

Mr. Kettle: Where did you expect to get it from?—"Mr, Douglas." ; j: Mr. Kettle: Is ho a relative? Witness: Ivo; it was money I lent him, « ahd for board and lodging. He went away without paying. Where is this man, Douglas?—" He. went' south about three weeks ago," v' 1 . | 111 answer to Mr. Dawson, witness said;, that she thought that the furniture was ', . .he'r own, having bought it in her own:fv name. ■ ■_ Mi'. Kettle:. Why did you give your husband's hard-earned m'o((ejrP?.''^J>.;.;!„ Witness: I don't know. He asked.: and represented himself,, as a remittance-// man.' ; Mr,. Kettle: A man who will board with 'a married woman, pay r.othhisr, and pot •" her' husband's bard-earned inoiioy .:.: eaii::.on!y. be 1 characterised by one :T\vord j;®i;' : ."blackguard."' To,, witness: Don't;-,. you' fV re»ret. all this? . Witness: I do. '. Mr. Kettle then said that this case, that ought to be. settled. He askid:. . . "You .admit'that your husband is a'good.;;,: ■ one ■■ ■■■ 4 Witness: Yes, I do. ' ■ : : :Mr. Kettlc: 'And.he has' been,-gwd..'to; :youP 1 '.;■?■V Witness:.. Yes, he has. "The case,'was then adjourned sine diet'Mr;'."'Kettle expressing' a-' hope.., that ,it,<v ; .: ,uiight■ be,, settled. : V; v' : . ;