DIFFICULT CASES

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 58, 6 September 1934, Page 15

DIFFICULT CASES

THE BURDEN OF POVERTY

Evidence heard' in connection with maintenance, cises in the Courts at Wellington focuses attention on the trying circumstances under which some peoplo have-to live and the difficulty they present to Magistrates and Judges who have to determine them. Although the ■ position of an elderly couple, parties to proceedings in the' Supreme Gourt today, may be better than that of many another family, it was'certainly, on the evidence, bad enough. Their story was one of little money coming in, and the husband said he was suffering from arthritis. When asked if he had a banking account, the husband's reply was: 'I haven't had a banking account for 40 years." He said ho had no assets, except his watch and chain,.and now they were in pawn. He had had to pawn them to keep going and to pay his wife maintenance. At present he was earning under £2 a week. _ He was working with another man in a small business, and between them they owed £25 for rent, which meant really that he had overdrawn £12 10s from the business, because he was responsible for half the;,rent. At the present time he was unable to affiord. to smoke. He had not had a drop of liquor for two years, and he had never been a drinking man. Tho wife, who suffers from deafness, said she received an old age pension of 15s a week. There were five children of the marriage, three daughtors and two boys, all of whom, with tho exception of the youngest boy, aged 26, were married. None of her children was in a position -to assist her. The daughters' husbands had been out. of work, and her two sons also had been unemployed. She had had to assist her children to a certain extent, and at tho present time the youngest boy was under the doctor. About two years ago, in order to assist her children, she had had to "go to the wash tub and do charring work." She Had only been able to lend them a few shillings. The case was brought on the wife's application-for a review of a Magistrato's order reducing the amount payable to her for maintenance by her husband to 5s a week. Owing to his Honour ordering a certain inquiry to be made, tho. hearing was ndjourned.

At about 7 o'clock last evening, Marlow Bowring, a single man, aged 28, of 88 Portland Crescent, Thorndon, was found dead with a gunshot wound in his head, believed to have been selfinflicted. An inquest will be held.