LAW'S AN ASS

NZ Truth, Issue 1190, 20 September 1928, Page 8

LAW'S AN ASS

Curious Features Revealed

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Auckland Rep.) A woman may obtain a separation and an order for maintenance from her husband on the grounds of persistent orualty, habitual drunkenness, or failure to maintain, and very many do* OUT though a husband may have at- " tempted to kill hi* wife, and his attempt hare been to all anpoamaOee deliberate and ooid- Wooded, it is not sufficient grounds for the law to arrant the wife a dissolution of her marriage. Had Lawrence Ma-cKenzie been found guilty of attempted m«aalaughter. initead of assault with intent to do bodily harm, and had he received seven years' hard labor instead of three, the lair would have allowed hli wife, Honor Clarke MacKenzie, her freedom with the minimum of trouble. ; As it was, she had to petition, through Lawyer Singer, for her divorce, on the grounds of habitual drunkenness, and cruelty. And she failed to establish her case! MacKenzlc, who had been ■ brought, from the gaol under esc/)rt wasto-hav* been defended by Lawyer -McLiyer, at the request of the defendant's brother, but the lawyer retired from the case, after the Court had been adjourned by his honor, Judge '' Reed, for the two lawyers to have a conference, nndMacKenzie conducted the case himself. Honor Clarke MacKenzie, was taken over the ground of her life with her iiniiTiinniiuiiiiminiiiiituiiiHiiiiHiHinniiuuiMiinininiiminiMinniiinimnmnnHiniiuiiiniiinnn iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiitHiiiiHiiniiiitiiitiiiiiiitniitiinimutiitiininiimmnminfiiiijitiuniiiiiumniHiuinia

BinuuiuuinnnuummruimumiiMiuwmiinnnnuminiuMimiiimiuuiiiiiijmnmwiiiaunminß iHnnminnimiiiinmmmijimiHuifimißnmiiimiwnimiiimiiiitimiiiiiinflhmiininniiitunmum husband on their farm at Waitakaruru and later In Auckland. MacKenzie, who sat at the lawyer's table with a number of papers before him, and a gaoler at his aide, was m his own clothes, -which gave the observer cause to wonder why, when a man is punished, and may some day expect to see the outside of the prißon walls, his olothes should not be better Cared for. '-}IP'<: y Having seen the manner m which MaoKenzie was turned out to hear the case, "Truth" suggests that a department be set up inside the gaoi for the sole purpose of pressing and cleaning the inmates' personal garments. Whatever a man's crime may be, he, generally speaking, has some personal pride. The oross-examination which the defendant made of bis wife was mostly rambling, and irrelevant, but, the judge allowed him ample license, which was explained, when the proceedings terminated, by his honor saying that he was prejudiced against him, and he was anxious that he should not; be m any way at a disadvantage. At the end of the morning's proceedings his honor said that .so far, habitual drunkenness had not been :by any means proved, and'he would need to have more evidence before he could grant' a* decree nisi. ■ ; "I would like to help the petitioner m every.way to get free/ said the judge,, "but I can only, Act within the law." '..•■- Lawyer Singer was given leave to withdraw the petition, this being the only way m which he oould be left free to take fresh proceedings, and these it is understood will be at an early date. But such farcical proceedings .oxily go once more to show m how many.ways the law can emulate the costermongers'. friend, and that a woman, who may be battered over the head with a hammer, and come to her senses to find the gas tube oozing deadly fumes into her bed, has still to go to the expense, and mental agony, of proving that her husband is cruel and an habitual drunkard. iNmiiiHHnni»rammiiiiiiiiinnumßmnniimniiinnnimnumiiiiiimmniniJ»JJi««Jjnim»