SEPARATED AFTER FORTY-TWO YEARS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 92, 9 December 1931, Page 6

SEPARATED AFTER FORTY-TWO YEARS

(Continued) her husband was very well disposed towards McFarlane and used to invite him to come to the house to play cards. Questioned as to her private income, Mrs Knight said she had about £160 a year of her own, but she had three of her daughters living with her and had to pay 27/6 a week on account of a building Society's mortgage on her house. Frequent Disturbances A neighbour of the Knights, Donald Watts, stated in evidence that he had heard frequent disturbances in the Knight household. On one occasion his attention had been attracted late at night and he had finally gone over to see what was the matter. He could hear Knight abusing his wife and the disturbance continued till about 6 a.m. In reply to Mr. Roe, Watts said that he had been friendly with Knight until one morning when the defendant had made a statement to him which he did not believe. As a result he had decided not to speak to him again. He had spoken to Mrs. Knight only about eight or nine times during the time the two parties occupied the house. "A Habit" Another neighbour, Harold McFarlane, the Maori referred to by Mrs Knight, stated that he was a married man. At the time the Knights occup^ied the house, he had been working as a bus driver and was on the 6 p.m. bus. Practically every night, he picked up Knight in this bus and on nearly every occasion Knight was under the influence of drink. In cross-examination, McFarlane said that one evening when Mrs Knight was visiting witness' house, Knight had arrived and rapped heavily on the house with a stick and when witness went out, Knight demanded his wife and said he would brealc every window in the house if his wife did not come home. Mrs Knight finally went home in order to avoid a disturbance. Daughter's Evidence A daughter of the two parties, Ruth Knight, stated that she had been the only one of the family living at home before the separation. Her father was under the influence of drink practically every night. He would abuse her sisters and brothers and all her relations. He would make all sorts of allegations against her brothers and sisters, and on several occasions, witness and her mother left the house at late hours of the night and walked the streets. Magistrate's Observations Constable A. J. Kelly said that he lived opposite the Knights and that on one occasion he had been called as a result of complaints that a man was stopping women in the street. The complaint had been a misunderstanding due to the fact that a girl had seen Knight waiting about outside the McFarlane's house and had formed the opinion that he was watching her. He had interviewed Knight, but at the time of the interview between 8 and 9 o'clock, the defendant did not show any signs of drink. He had not seen Knight under the influence of liquor. The Magistrate: I tell you frankly that I have seen him round the streets under the influence of liquor. He was not drunk enough to be arrested, perhaps, but he was under the influence of drink.

H. J. Hughes, a gardener and F. J. Weatherall, a storekeeper, both stated that they knew the Knights and had visited their house fairly frequently. Both witnesses said that they had never seen Knight under the influence of drink. James McGuffin, a gardener, said he used to see Knight two or three times a week and had never seen him under the influence of drink. Defendant's Evidence. Giving his age as 70 years, George Knight, the respondent, said that the first trouble had occurred over a loan in connection with a house. He objected to his wife going to visit the Maoris, not because they were Maoris, but because she left him alone. Knight said that he gave each of his daughters £500 or £600 to open their Post Office savings bank account. When they came to Rotorua he brought his youngest daughter Ruth to live with them so that she would be company for her mother, but he added, "The young woman would not speak to me." "Am I?" was Knight's only reply when he was asked by Mr. Davys whether he was not a very wealthy man. He admitted he owned a farm valued at over £13,000 and said he had £1900 worth of war bonds. He had not paid his wife anything since he left home because she had not asked for it.Knight said he had not paid anything towards the maintenance of the daughters who were living with their mother but he had given them each £600 or £700. Mr. Davys: Your wife says that you have been drunk three or four times in the week? That is not true. Lost Himself In reply to further questions Knight denied that one night he had been so drunk that he had lost himself. He admitted he had been lost but said that he had only one eye and could not see in the dark. In reply to the Magistrate, the defendant admitted that 011 one occasion he had thrown a handful of pumice on the McFarlane's roof. His only reason for doing so, he said, was to get his w:fe to come outside. "I think it is a great pity when people who have lived so many years together ara compelled to separate," said the Magistrate in summing up. "I have 110 other option but to make a separation order. The complainant has given definite evidence of drinking habits on the part of her husband. This evidence has been eorroborated by the daughter, McFarlane and W att." In regard to the evidence called by the defendant, His Worship stated that it was clear that Knight was in the habit of drinking, although perhaps not to such an- extent that he would be arrested by the police. The evidence of the constable and of the other witnesses as to Knight's condition did not go far enough, as their observation of defendant's habits was limited. They had not the opportunity of observing his behaviour in the home. A separation order was made and maintenance was fixed at £2 per week.