DIVORCE COURT

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 138, 7 March 1921, Page 9

DIVORCE COURT

UNDEFENDED CASES HEARD. In the Supreme Court on Saturday, before His Honour the Chief (Sir Robert Stout) two undefended divorce cases were heard. Desertion was the ground on which Alice Williams (Mr. A. Fair) asked for dissolution of her marriage with Ragan Evean Williams, butcher. The marriage had taken place at Greytown in 1905. Petitioner, giving evidence, said there were two children of the marriage. She alleged that the respondent had deserted her in Auckland in November, 1907, and

she had seen him only on one occasion since. She had obtained an order for maintenance against him, hut had received no assistance. A decree nisi was granted, with costs on the lowest scale, to be made absolute in three months. Restitution of conjugal rights was asked by George Herbert Scales (Mr. C. P. Skerretr, K.C., with him Mr. C. W. Neilsen). Mr. O’Beere watched the case in the interest of the wife, Gertrude Maynard Scales It was stated that the parties had been married in 1884, yhere being five children of the marriage, of whom three were still alive. By order of His Honour, publication of the evidence was prohibited. The Application was granted. The following decrees absolute in divorce were made by His Honour : - Ethel Herbert Wales v. Cecil Brock Wales the petitioner to have custody of one child ; Ida Mary Watson v. Claude H. Watson, the petitioner to have custody of the child, to whom the defendant is lo have reasonable access ; Henry Walker v. Kathleen Walker (Edward Cornwall Clark, co-respondent), the petitioner to have access to the child, to whom the respondent may have access once weekly.