COLONIAL MARRIAGES AND DIVORCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 166, 16 July 1898, Page 3 (Supplement)

COLONIAL MARRIAGES AND DIVORCE.

Mr John Macdonnell,', a Master of the Supreme Court of Judicature, who has fast been made a C.B. for his valuable work in connection with the 'State

foals* ana Judicial Statistics, has in his smual official compilation of the Civil Mcial statistics just presented to Parfament made an interesting compari*>n between the statistics of divorce to England and Wales and those in <tta countries. From this the 'Daily tows' comes to the conclusion that hap-

t? : marriages are commoner in England m, Wales than in any other country. B"t of course divorce statistics are *'t aisleaaing when used to gauge

,™ amount of domestic bliss in coun*B having entirely different marriage ™ divorce laws. In England it is both ** and expensive to obtain relief m oatrimonial bondage, whereas in tnitea States it seems to'be as easy ■ * Macaonnell does not give the flgf ;f« tlie States, but he tells us that

J «ay.thousand marriages divorces jj.^!^ to 40 people in Switzerland, J *We, 17 in Germany, 12 in HoliTsie 'in Austrla> !-6 in England anct i«ies S '^ divorc, es granted in the colU. Me Siven for every 100,000 of popun'New South Wales heads the list ii^ 5' Victoria is a bad second witn >,^ a;lhe other, colonies tail off tin Cn° Queenslana with only 1. lilies News,' commenting on these states that there has been a in recent years in the SHoy es °f -^vorces; in the Australian !;ttW fails t0 note the &reater & 8J ,* for: untying the nuptial knoi of Australian Divorce Acts In crime, and habitual neSS- n these thin^s were W^ ieUt grounds for divorce in Vii 4 figures given by Mr Mac" Underg ° a ra Pid and startfßation I am sure.