Fact Foremost

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 927, 17 May 1957, Page 25

Fact Foremost

H{AZARDING a generalisation, I would say that New Zealanders too often argue from an inadequate basis of fact. It was pleasing to find that in the talks on divorce entitled Divers Unhappy Differences fact came first, opinion afterwards. Professor Davis's outline of the legal position was followed by Allan Nixon’s summary of his statistical investigation into divorce in New Zealand. This largely followed his pamphlet on the subject, though there were some new findings and a new emphasis on the interdependence of factors commonly associated with divorce--pre-marital pregnancy, youth, low educa‘ion and income status, for example. Marie Griffin was able to go some way beyond the statistical approach from her experience as a family guider, Her conclusion that, far from securing release from unhappiness, divorce usually causes more, can be accepted with the reservation that a counsellor probably sees the unhappiest cases. The Rev. Ewen Simpson’s summary ef the theoretical approach of the churches to divorce was useful as far as it went, but might have been supplemented by some evidence of their practice. The discussion between the speakers which concluded the series produced a surprisingly unanimous belief that the law should provide some stay of proceedings to enable an attempt at reconciliation, encouraged by Mrs Griffin’s assurance that this stage is not too late. Their tinkering with the idea of compulsory. guidance before marriage seemed to me less happy. But it was a stimulating series.