COMMUNITY COST OF BROKEN MARRIAGES

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29871, 11 July 1962, Page 15

COMMUNITY COST OF BROKEN MARRIAGES

Marriage-guidance organis-' ations were worthy of volun- j :ary public financial support.! not only because of the j humaniiarian aspects of their i work but because they saved; a lot of expense to the tax-i payer. Mr L. V Harvey, of] the Australian Commonwealth Attorney-GenertTs Department, said in Chris:church yesterday. Mr Harvey, who advises the Attorney-General on the approval of marriage-guid-ance organisations and the payment of subsidies to; them, is in New Zealand to observe the work of the mar-riage-guidance system here. Yesterday afternoon he met local magistrates and psychologists and in the evening addressed members of the British Psychological Society Today he will meet marriage-guidance counsellors. Before taking up his present position, he was a practising psychologist. Broken families were often very expensive to the taxpayer. Mr Harvey said, especially where children had to be cared for al the State's expense Marital troubles often affected the usefulness of a worker and many a man who had been despaired of bv his employers had had his job saved through marriageguidance help with his home problems. Marriage-guidance organisations in Australia were sometimes groups of local persons formed specially for the purpose, but the work was also carried out by organisa'ions within the Anglican. Methodist, and Roman i Catholic churches, said Mr Harvey. Any of these groups I were elig.ble for federal Government assistance pro ! viaed their work was of an acceptable standard. The ! subsidy system was set up ! under Australia's unified

divorce code, which became law in February, 1960. Las: year, the subsidies cost about £50.000 Marriage guidance was not only aimed at preventing divorce, although this was an important aspect There was an even greater emphasis on preventing marriages getting to the stage where divorce was likely to be considered The best preparation for marriage was to grow up in a happy home, where there was a lot of healthy affection between the parents “Kids should grow up with a good example before them of what matrimonial life should be," said Mr Harvey. Before coming to Christchurch. Mr Harvey spent two days in Timaru as guest of a former fellow prisoner-of-war in Germany. Mr S M Robertson, of Beverley road. Mr Harvey and Mr Robertson were together in Stateg Luft 3 in Silesia in World War 11.