WILL TAKE NO CHANCES

NZ Truth, Issue 1262, 6 February 1930, Page 11

WILL TAKE NO CHANCES

Elusive De Chateau Is Not To Fade Out Again

MUST FIND BOND, OR LO,OK OUT

(Prom* "N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch Representative.)

| His voyaging between Australia and New Zealand 1 | has made Fleuris AJphonse De Chateau a difficult man | | to get m touch with. For some time warrants for his 1 | arrest have been out. m Sydney, and New Zealand, but I | it was only a few days ago that he was apprehended. 1 I He was arrested hi Wellington, where he had re- I 1 cently returned from Sydney. I

I DE CHATEAU, who is £55 in/arrears of a maintenance order made m favor of his wife at Christchurch, has been living witU another woman m Australia who is the mother of three children of whom De Chateau is the father. ... After his arrest he was brought to Christchurch, where court proceedings were taken against him for 1/is. disobedience of the maintenance order, his wife asking that he be ordered to find sureties' to pay future: maintenance. Mr. L. "W. Gee, counsel for Mrs. D-j Chateau, said that De Chateau had caused considerable trouble. Some months ago he was m. New Zealand, arid an endeavor was made to get m touch with him. He returned to Sydney, and warrants for his arrest were issued 'there. He then came back to New Zealand. He had property m Australia and. counsel understood, m Vivian Street, Wellington, but there were no means of "ascertaining what his assets were. Mr. Gee considered that he must be making money, although he had been complaining lately of being on the rocks. He was living with a woman m Australia. Mrs. De Chateau was m need of maintenance, as her children were m ill health. She did not wish that he be sent to prison, but wanted some guarantee that" he would pay future maintenance. Mr. D. W. Russell, who appeared for De Chateau, said that the man's property m Australia was' mortgaged to the extent of £400, and -his brother had advanced him more money on it. During the previous eight monthd he said, De Chateau ha^d been, unemployed, but, despite that, he had been able to send his wife £ 1 a week. ' The eldest of Mrs. De Chateau's children was 19 and the youngest was 13, so her resources. need not have been called upon to support them. Some of her children must have been work ing. ■ /* . Marion Agnes De Chateau said that whenever she received money from her husband she reported the fact to the maintenance officer. A few days previously she had received £ 8 from him but that, was the only sum he had sent her since September. ' At the time De Chateau was m New Zealand she had received letters from him addressed from Australia. ' Mrs. De Chateau said that she had five ohildren, one of whom was under 16; One of her daughters was married and two others were employed m Rotorua. These latter were earning 30/- a»week and had to keep themselves. Another child .was too delicate to work. Her husband owed £130 on an order made m favor iof the children, but ishe now wanted him to maintain only

herself and the child under sixteen. , Mr. Russell: Have you received payments of £1 from your husband at different times? — Not since September. De Chateau, who was called to give evidence, described himself as an itinerant worker. He did anything he could get to do.* He had lost an eye and his sight was riot too good. He Bald that , he owned two properties, valued at £400 m Balmain, New South .Wales, but did not own a pennyworth of property m Wellington. The Balmain properties were willed to him, and were now mortgaged. "I have not forgotten my ob-> ligations," he said, "and when I • came to N.ew Zealand- it was . actually to look for work. I have not earned a sixpence m eight months." '"I have every intention of doing more, if I can possibly do It," he said. "I cannot, possibly have any sympathy with the man," Mr. Mosley said. "He has a wife and family m New Zealand, and has another family m Australia. He has neglected his wife, so goodness knows what he is going to do to the other woman." De Chateau was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended so long as he pays £1 a week, present maintenance, and 2/6 a week off the arrears. He was ordered to find a surety of £100 that he would /Comply with the order. The Maintenance Officer, Mr. Percy Jones, said that he had experience: with De Chateau m the past. The man would give his post office address, but that was all he would do. De Chateau was allowed one w.eek to find the surety, on condition that he reported to Mr. Jones daily.