SUPREME COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1922, Page 6

SUPREME COURT.

DIVORCE DECREES GRANTED. A number of undefended petitions in divorce and motions fvr discharge in bankruptcy were hoard by His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth on Saturday morning. The first petition heard was that brought by Mary Larkin against Joan Joseph Larkin.

Petitioner stated that they were married in December 1905, when she had a drapery business at Okato which was destroyed by respondent’s drinking habits, a grocery business, acquired later, suffering the same fate. Since 1912. when they had come to New Plymouth, the petitioner stated that she had had to maintain herself and family by going out to work. [Respondent had repeatedly illtreated her in the course of his drunken boute, on one occasion having thrown a knife at her. William Matthew Hancock, engineer, New Plymouth, said that he and his wife had lived in petitioner's house for IS months. He had seen evidence of respondent ill-treating Mrs. Larkin during the course of his bouts of drunkenness.

Constable Parkinson also gave evidence, stating that Larkin had been repeatedly drunk about the streets. He was the most troublesome “drunk’’ in New Plymouth and he knew of 42 convictions for that and other offences against him. A decree nisi was granted to be made absolute in three months. Costs were granted against respondent on the lowest scale. •MORRISON V. MORRISON. In support of his petition for a divorce from Margarette Kate Morrison, Donald Morrison said he married her in 1896 in which year his only child a daughter, was born. They separated in 1913 when he allowed his wife the nett proceeds of the sale of his farm, amounting to a little over £2OOO. He enlisted in 1915, making his soldier’s allotment in favour of his wife. On his return in 1919 he took up a soldiers farm and made an endeavour to get his wife to come back, but without success. Robert Morrison, sawmiller, said he was no relation of the petitioner but he knew the parties to the dispute and confirmed petitioner’s statement as to the separation. Decision was reserved pending proof of service of citation. DECREE MADE A decree absolute was granted in tlie case Galvin v. Galvin, custody of the child being granted to the mother. IN BANKRUPTCY.

Thomas Hood was granted his discharge in bankruptcy, while a petition from Edith Jane Watson was held over pending receipt of fuller report from the D.O.A.