A QUICK ONE

NZ Truth, Issue 1141, 13 October 1927, Page 7

A QUICK ONE

♦ : Watson's Two-Day Wonder (Fi^jn "N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch Rep.) According to the metrical doctrines of irresponsible poets, marriage is an excellent thing, marred only by the one universal barrier of maintaining a wife. George Watson was right with those irresponsible makers of verse. W7HEN the mairiage germ stung or *^ bit George m the middle of winter, it forgot to reckon on a comparative immunity to the nuptial epidemic. George and his wife lived together for two whole sixty-minute-to-the-hour days. Then something happened. George's views on marriage do not concern this narrative, but despite the fact that he is wifeless m a practical sense, he is still very much "attached" to his spouse m the strictly legal sense. And thereby hangs a maintenance order. "YOU KNOW " George Watson is not a bad -looking chap, fairly well-set-up, decent enough of visage and browned by the sun. He admitted to Magistrate Mosley at Christchurch the other day that he was guilty of failing to maintain his wife. He offered no explanations. Magistrate Mosley: "You know, it's hardly a fair thing to leave your wife without maintenance. "I do not want to inquire into your private affairs or your reason for leaving her, but a man is under a definite obligation to maintain a woman whom he has taken as a wife. . . ." George hung his head and blinked. Lawyer H. R. Sampson (who appeared for the wife): "He was married m June, 1926, sir. As a matter of fact, he was married on the Wednesday and left on the Friday — with £3 from his wife's purse." Magistrate: I see you are a farm laborer by occupation? — Yes, sir. Any family? — No, sir. You earn £2 a week and keep, of course? — Yes, sir. "Well, I don't want to be hard on you, but you must know the position. If you have reasonable grounds for deserting your wife there is a proper way of going about it. . . "There is too much of this desertion of wives by husbands and indeed of husbands by wives. . . Far too much of it all over New Zealand. Married m haste and repented m leisure." Lawyer Sampson: "More of a question here, sir, of marrying m too much leisure and repenting m haste. (Laughter). Magistrate Mosley: "Now, Watson, I want to give you a chance to support your wife. Tell me how much you are prepared to pay and I'll see if it conforms to my own opinion." Very quietly and modestly the defendant said: "Thirty shillings a week, sir." His worship: "What! How can you pay 30/- out of £2? Now, that's too much." His worship reflected. FIFTY-FIFTY . Counsel for the wife admitted that the woman was obliged to work and was m employment. "I shall make an order that is quite within your means," said the magistrate. > "I don't want to penalize you. It will be jus| half what you said you would pay — order for 15/- a week." Lawyer Sampson: "I ask for security, sir. I have been led to understand that this man has substantial properties m WaipiiKurau." To his worship, however, Watson said he had no property.