SIX YEARS TO PAY DEBT

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29841, 6 June 1962, Page 8

SIX YEARS TO PAY DEBT

Father With 15 Children

The father of 15 children will take six years to pay a debt of £77 19s 6d at the rate of 5s a week, according to an order made on a judgment summons by Mr A. P. Blair, SM„ in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

William Hamilton Wanahalla, a labourer, who is at present unemployed, was ordered to pay Thomas Richard McCleary £77 19s 6d and a solicitor's fee of £2 12s 6d. in default 80 days’ imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended while 5s a week is paid. A judgment summons order was made in March. 1961. when Wanahalla, who appeared and was represented by a solicitor, agreed to pay 10s a week off the debt. Yesterday Wanahalla was granted a rehearing. Mr D. H. Stringer appeared for the plaintiff. Wanahalla conducted his own case.

Cross-examined by Mr Stringer, Wanahalla admitted the debt. He said that when he agreed to pay 10s a week he had 14 children, nine of whom were under 16. and he was paying £2 8s 6d rent a week for a State house. He now had 15 children, and the rent of the State house had been increased to £3 4s 6d a week. He was not working at present: he was looking after the children because his wife was in the materpity home. The sum of £5 10s had been paid off the debt.

When he was working he earned £l2 a week, and a child allowance of £7 10s was received, making a total income of £l9 10s a week.

"We only eat plain. tucker. The grocery bill comes to about £8 a week, and wood and coal costs 17s 8d a week." Wanahalla said. Mr Stringer said the debt was incurred when Wanahalla signed a hire-purchase ' agreement so that one of his | sons could ‘ buy a motorscooter. This was repossessed “It seems quite a large amount for the ‘hire’ of a scooter for three months," said the Magistrate, The machine was in a shocking condition and was almost, a complete wreck when it was reclaimed. Mr Stringer said. It had not been looked after. The Magistrate made an order for the first payment of 5s to be made in three weeks, when Wanahalla was expected to be back at work.