CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10201, 31 March 1911, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

DIVORCE MADE EASY.'(?) [IVlVie Editor,']

Sir,—- I vfSLS interested epmewhat iin an; article'.-appearing- .in tH«!. ; Age this morning, under the above heading (minus ', the mark of interrbga-. tion). The article is either ;a good" illustration of the.,maxim '.'that, '.-/' a little knoweldge: • is,.;- a dangerous thing," or on the other hand/; the writer of it ; holds peculiar yidws>as to matrimonial obligations; 'iue. jgroundsi on which dissolution of >marriage, T will bo granted iil: ,'NjSwJ' Zealand.are > a».'foliow*>t^l>'•<:-',"-'''! " ''■'■'■

• -..; (L)/Adultery,,^ \Xx:iw\xV.:.\ ,' ; (2) ; Desertion without just '.cause for five years'or upwards; . '

,/(3) (for four years or upwards); of such a character as to render the"wife,habitually incapable - ofV'perfdi'riiirig tio duties/,,0r t<i cause ■ the ihusbarid to/ be : habitually. /cruel'/to/' ii'sr six■:', to. caiuse.; him to > be, nnabie. to \. ; < : ' '.•';,:■: ■'.'•''■■;■''r.'.". : ' v '.

1 'V(4^-;Wii6ijeA■■.the/,';; has- : beeii,;:,cos:i^ ■ seven" years pt, upwards for attempt-/ ing to' take ih& ./lifeVof petitioner;.or, child of the petitioner. (5) Where ■ the respondent has been, convicted of the murder •. of the. child of the petitioner or respondent.--: ■ '-' ■ A " : ' ■ ~.. ."•' •-• ..•'•

(6) Lunacy, where respondentf/has; been confined in ;■ an asylum for at, least ten years in the aggregate, out' of the twelve years preceding the filing of the petition. Now, it is a reasonable question to ask,' which of the foregoing grounds renders divorce easier / than it ought to be? This question is the more pertinent'when onie' considers that the divorce : statute" provides . that :'!•• where p"etitioher&? ; ..duce to • the, wrong complained of, "the ; petition; may! be dismissed. Then; ) it \is;wellrkttqwn; that such.ia, higa, do-; gree ; of .particularity, in proof and- in 1 all : 'other// by. Judges ;thdt; ; the. wayv to/ divOT'ce is 1 , invariably paved with expense, iety, and often disappointments Far from making divorce easy, the New Zealand law was recently altered to take away what is still a ground of divorce in almost all other countries—namely, refusal by- respondent after two years' desertion to return Home and obey the marriage vows.— I am, etc., ' ',■ C. H. CULIiEN. (A number of the clauses referred to by our correspondent have- been recently .added to the Divorce Act. Whatever may be the cause, the fact remains that, the number of divorce, petitions which -have come before tiho courts has 'enormously'' "increased of r latere' ,'■l6'. div-- : '■■}Ver&--not, ; mada' comparatively ;: easy,; there would' not be- nearly so :;'. iiiuch- work, for-the legal" profession -in.', this and., society l / v better;- " :; -3ffie/ poiritsflf qui-:;article, ,''- ; ',iVas': the /,ayoidiiig?x)f /^promiscuous '^'•^aa^fcg'i^ : '; vorce would-be unnecessary.-^— '. Ed.;. ■ 'Age.) ■ ■; .' '■■'■"■■■ ;,J ' ;: '':-- ; '-"--