MARITAL DISPUTES

Grey River Argus, 12 August 1935, Page 8

MARITAL DISPUTES

A HEALING POLICY. LONDON COURTS SUCCESS. RUGBY, August 7. A report has been issued by one of •the Metropolitan magistrates, Mr. tlaud Mullius, upon the new procedure iu hearing matrimonial disputes, which was introduced at the beginning or the year at the Southampton police Court. The experiment’ hat? aroused con siderablc interest iu circles concerned with legal and social reform, and the first seven months’ results are com-n.-ented upon favourably in the Press. The policy of the Court has been to sec at? far as possible the applicants for separation orders., under summary procedure, and make them realise the consequences that would follow an order, aud before a summons is issued, to facilitate interviews between the parties? and the Courts’ probation officers out of the Court, and in ad vance of public hearings., and to hu manise the proceedings so as to ensure the Magistrates got' to understand the real causes of each ease of domestic misunderstanding. With the latter object, the hearings arc generally held, not in the Police Court, but in the Magistrate’s consulting room. In the first seven months, 220 summonses have been issued of u hich 38 cases were settled out of Court, after interviews with probation officers, ami seven a fl er the hearing, following furl her talks with the probation officers. In 63 cases, where the proceed ings were adjourned or interim orders granted. there were no further proceedings, while 23 eases were dismissed of the total of 220. Therefore only 89 case,9 resulted in final orders for separation and/or maintenance. The report states that the Magis stra-te is satisfied no one is denied his or her legal rights under the procedure. while the hearings on the oldfashioned lines would ccrt’ainlv have resulted in a considerably greater number of final orders