THE DIVORCE LAWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1922, Page 5

THE DIVORCE LAWS.

A PROPOSED AMENDMENT. DECREE AFTER SEPARATION. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In the Legislative Council this afternoon Sir Francis Bell moved the second reading of the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill, which adds to clause 4 of the 1920 Act the following proviso:— “Provided that if. upon the hearing of a petition under this section, respondent opposes the making of a decree of dissolution, and it is proved to the satisfaction of the Court that separation was due to, or was the result of the actions or conduct of petitioner, the Court shall not make a decree of dis'solution of marriage.” The Hon. W. H. Triggs reminded the Council that in 1920 he had expressed the opinion that the door was being opened too widely. He felt that the part of the 1920 Act which referred to separation by mutual consent should be struck out, for it was conceivable that a wife might be goaded into signing such an agreement, though this might be difficult to prove when divorce proceedings were taken.

The Hon. 0. Samuel said the fact that such a large number of sufferers had taken advantage of the 1920 amendment was the best proof of its need. The 1920 amendment was safeguarded by the use of discretion. The furthest he could go would be to support the amendment if it was made discretionary and not mandatory.

The Hon. J. MacGregor asked members to put to themselves the question whether, where a union lias ceased to be in any sense of the word a marriage, was it desirable that this state should continue?

The second reading was carried by 25 votes to 4, the opponents being the Hons. M. Cohen, J. Gow, J. MacGregor, and O. Samuel.