THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1895.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2760, 8 January 1895, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1895.

MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE LAWS. Two British Parliamentary returns showing the variations that exist in the marriage laws of different countries will no doubt be interesting to our lady readers. The returns deal with twentyfour different nationalities and ten British Colonies. First < f all the legal marriageable age varies Bom fourteen to twenty-one for males, and twelve to seventeen for females; the lowest figures ruling in Argentina and Russia, and the highest in Sweden and Germany, it alsj appears that the legal fee for the ceremony differs widely in many instances. There is no fee in Argentina, Mexico, Bavaria, and Wurtemburg. or for the civ'.’. 1 marriage in Spain. The fees are low in G to '7*mauy. In Austria the Catholic fee is 4s 4*d in country and 5s lid in the town ; the Protestant charge no but accept gratuities. lu i., ! ,D f? ar y> where civil marriage has just bed 1 granted after a severe struggle, the fee ranges from 6d to 13s. In Greece the cost is Gs Gd, which includes 2s 6d to the Bishop. At the Hague marriage fs celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays, from ten to twelve, yratis when several couples aie grouped together ; a separate ceremony costs £1 sa. At Rotterdam the fees vary according to the part of the Town Hall used. A first-class private wedding costs £2 18s 4d, a second-class £1 11s 4d, a third-class 10s. Sweden has a strange provision, requiring with other certificates, “ for those not confirmed in the State Church,” a certificate of vacci-

nation. In Natal the cost of marriage is 4s, and in Australia generally about £l. The legal hours for holding the ceremony also differ. In Spain and Portugal the ceremony may take place by day or by night, and in the latter country night is often chosen. The conditions of divorce are also various. In Germany divorce may be granted for “insuperable aversion,” and in Greece the husband can sue for divorce on the most trivial and trumpery pleas; although generally it is only obtainable on more serious grounds. Portugal deals unjustly with its women in comparison with the men. For adultery a wife is sent to prison for eight years, while a husband is let off with a paltry fine of £2. In America the law is different in each State, and in twenty-three States marriage between a white and a negro is void. Divorce costs from 11s to £4 10s in Bavaria and Wurtemburg; from £1 15s to £45 in other parts of Germany; and in France about £2O. In five years, from 1884 to 1888 inclusive, there were three times as many divorces in France as in England.