DESERTED WIVES OF U.S. SERVICEMEN

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24624, 21 July 1945, Page 7

DESERTED WIVES OF U.S. SERVICEMEN

AUSTRALIA AMENDING DIVORCE LAWS (Rec. 10.45 p.m.) CANBERRA, July 20. Deserted Australian wives of United States servicemen are to be enabled to secure a divorce in Australian Courts. This is provided by the Matrimonial Causes Bill introduced to-day in the House of Representatives by the Prime Minister (Mr J. B. Chifley). He said the provision dealing with marriages between Australian women and United States servicemen would not apply if the parties had gone to live in the husband’s permanent home. These provisions were applicable to any marriage celebrated in Australia on or after September 3, 1939, between a man domiciled out of Australia and a woman domiciled in Australia. The application of the Bill would be limited to war-time marriages. A message from Brisbane on July 10 said that hundreds of Australian wives of United States servicemen had been deserted, married under false names, or divorced by their husbands in such a way that the divorce was not legally recognised in Australia. The problem that had arisen was how to free these women from their real or faked, marital bonds. Suggestion’s had been made that Australia should follow the lead given by Britain where a woman could petition for divorce without the trouble and expense of going to America. Under the existing legislation an Australian woman was faced with the problem of entering the United States at her own expense to obtain a divorce which would be valid in Australian law. It was stated that a number of United States servicemen, whose wives were still In Australia, had obtained easy divorces on their return to America and had remarried in their own country. These divorces were not necessarily recognised in Australia. U.S. Naval Strength.—The United States Navy now amounts to more than 5.000,000 tons. During the last three years 1300 new fighting ships have been put into action, and during the next two years 223 new vessels will go into service, including two battleships, three 45,000-ton aircraft-carriers, and nine smaller carriers.— Washington, July 18.