THE DIVORCE LAWS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 51, 28 August 1930, Page 14

THE DIVORCE LAWS

AMERICAN SAILORS' WIVES

QUESTION "OF DOMICILE..

The plight of New Zealand girls who married American .sailors during the visit of the American. fleet and were now prevented from securing a divorce owing to the fact that they are legally; " domiciled in America was stressed ia the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, whea the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill, introduced by Mr. H. G. R. Mason (Labour, Auckland Suburbs) was under di»» cussion. Among other things, the Bill provide^ that the girls affected may be deemed to be domiciled in New Zealand, if they have been living apart from thei* husbands for three years. The Minister of Justice (the Ho* J. G. Cobbe) said that if the amen* ment were carried, the position would be that divorces granted under it woift# be legal only in New Zealand. If 4 girl were divorced in New Zealand, ans thon went .to England or some.' othef country and married, she would b# guilty of bigamy. The opinion was expressed by M% W. D. Lysnar (Independent Refornv Gisborne) that the question was one which might well be considered, by th« Imperial Conference. Ho thought th« House would be unwise to accept tha proposal in' the Bill without knowinj what the effect was likely. to he.

Mr. R. A. Wright (Reform, Wellington Suburbs) advised the House not to tinker with such an important matter. One sympathised with the girls in the plight in which they found themselves, but if they passed tho Bill in its present form they might be placing them in a still more serious plight. It was littlo Bills such as the present that did an immense, amount of mischief.

The Acting-Attorney-Geueral (the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata) suggested that the Bill should, be t allowed, to proceed in the meantime, and that a report should be secured as to the,effect of its provisions. In replying to the discussion, Mr. Mason said he had no desire to rush the legislation through. He -pointed out that it was quite unlikely that the girls affected would ever leave New Zealand, and even if they aid, it was not likely that any Government would prosecute them for bigamy. The' Minister of Justice was quite correct in his statement as to the effect of the Bill, but the fact was that the same consideration applied already in othar clauses of the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act. ■■■.■. ■„■•■■■■- ..." ;■■ The Bill was set down for -commUUl next sitting day.