WAR & BIGAMY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2687, 5 February 1916, Page 7

WAR & BIGAMY

CAUSE OF INCREASED NUMBER OP PROSECUTIONS. How war has had the indirect effect of increasing the number of bigamy cases "was explained by the Recorder in his charge to the Grand Jury at the Central Criminal Court recently. As the jury -\rns aware, he said, during the war it had been'the practice to givo considerable separation allowances to tho wives of tho gallant men who were fighting our battles. It was thus to the advantage of a man to bo married. A great many who had joined the force seemed to have' been living apart from their wives for some time, and with some other v woman. In order that that other woman might have the benefit of the separation allowance, tho men went to a registry- office and got married, knowing that the wives ' were really IMng 60mewhere else, and wero really entitled to the separation allowance. It was generally found, when the wife went to claim the separation allowance that the man had two "wives" —the wife who was really entitled to the allowance and the fictitious "wife" who was not entitled to it.' The result was that the number of bigamy cases had increased, and the number in the calendar was rather largo in proportion to the total number of cases. 1