The Dominion. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1913. NEW ZEALAND DIVORCE STATISTICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1876, 9 October 1913, Page 6

The Dominion. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1913. NEW ZEALAND DIVORCE STATISTICS.

The latest of the advance sheets of the New Zealand Official Year Book contains some useful statistics on divorce, crime, and other matters. There is no question of more vital importance to any community than the stability of tho family, and this is the reason why the divorce problem receives so much attention from social and moral reformers of all kinds. No community can feel any pride in a high divorce rate, and some people aro even opposed to divorcc in any shape or form. The inhabitants of Ireland and Canada manage to live as happily as the people of other countries' without much aid from tho Divorce Court, but most civilised nations, including New Zealand, have como to the conclusion that certain circumstances necessitate and justify the severance of the matrimonial bond. The ideal of marriage is, of course, a life-long union, which brings into existence permanent family relationships and responsibilities, the breaking up of which in any particular case can only be justified on the ground that its continuance would bo a still greater eyil- Marriage and divorce are matters which concern the community as well as the individual husbands and wives, and this is especially the caso when children have been brought into the world. The best that can be said of divorce is that it is a necessary evil, and the public wclfaro demands that it should always be regarded as something abnormal and exceptional. Most nations in modern times have found it necessary to extend the facilities for divorcc, but there seems to bo a growing feeling that the time has arrived for putting a brake on. There is a movement in this direction at the present time in the United States, where the evil of easy divorce has grown to quite alarming proportions. In New Zealand, the general opinion seems to be that* wo have gone far enough in widening the grounds upon which the Courts may grant a divorce. In the year 1898 an Act was passed in this country giving greater facilities for dissolving marriages, and these have been further increased by subsequent legislation. The law was consolidated

by the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act of 1908, nnd in 1912 another amendment was made reducing from ten to seven years the period of detention in an asylum necessary to constitute a ground for divorcc. Since the year 1903 the number of divorces granted in New Zealand has not shown any very striking fluctuations,. until last year (1912) when tho petitions increased by 48 over those of 1911, and the decrees granted jumped from 161 to 222, an increaso of no fewer than 01. Tho following tablo gives tho figures for the years 1903 to 1012:—

The Act of 1898 has had a marked effect in accelerating the divorce rate. This is shown by the fact that the number of divorces in 1893 was as low as 25, while four years later, in 1897, it had only increased to 33. Tho need for extreme caution in regafd to legislation dealing with the question of marriage and divorce is strikingly illustrated by certain facts mentioned in the last annual report of the Sunderland Borough Asylum. ' Dn. Middlemass, medical superintendent, states that the great majority of recoveries take place within a year of admission. Of tho rest, ono male and two females recovered after a. residence of five j'ears or more. These last cases, he adds, are of considerable importance in view of the recommendations contained in the Majority Report of the Divorce Commission. He goes on to say:

"Ono of tho recommendations of that report is that divorce should be obtainable after five years' continuous insanity if tho disease is certified as incurable: In threo cases above mentioned there were 110 symptoms pointing to tho prospect of recovery until a few months before discharge, and no deeidod symptoms to dilforentiate them from other similar cases which have not recovered. Had an opinion been asked, it is probable that some time before discharge they would havo been pronounced incurable. It is well known that cases recover after a much longer period than fivo years, and though these may not bo many 111 number, it would place a medical man who had previously certified such a patient ns incurable, if cure subsequently occurred, in a most uneuviablo position. It is quito possible that many asylum physicians would refuse to certify a casu as incurable until after tho lapse of a much longer period than five years." The remarks of Dr. Middlemass show how' necessary it is that lawmakers should fully realise the possible consequences of legislation of this character, and it is equally desirablo that the Uqurts should bo very careful in their administration of these laws. The present outcry in the United States is directed against lax administration almost as strongly as against reckless legislation. There is no federal divorce law, nor have the federal Courts any jurisdiction. The different States have their separate laws, and thero aro forty-nine different jurisdictions. Some States aro very strict, and others remarkably frco. Carolina provides no means of obtaining a divorce, whereas other States allow people.to sever the marriage tie for such trilling reasons as 1 incompatibility. At a great meeting recently held in Chicago to demand a change in the divorce laws of Illinois in the direction of making them much more strict, Judge Kavanagh pleaded that the sanctity of the home was at stake, and that in Illinois divorce was increasing at the rate of three times that of the population. Several other Judges supported the resolution which was proposed, and ono of Uhem in particular urged that something should be dono to check tho hurried marriages. The "Holdom" law, which was approved by the meeting, insists that there should bo an interval of fifteen days between the application for and the issue of . marriage licenses. The example of the United States should serve as a warning to other countries, and should impress on politicians the danger of tampering recklessly with an institution like marriage, which forms one of tho foundations of every well-ordered State.

Petitions. Decrees. 1!>03 J3i 121 1904 131 03 1M05 103 1M 190ii 171 pj 1907 ; 102 147 1003 207 171 1909 219 163 1910 200 151 1911 "2li i(ii 1912 271 ■ 222