MARRIAGE LAWS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 230, 11 September 1922, Page 2

MARRIAGE LAWS.

A NEW SOUTH WALES SUGGESTION. Sydney, August 30. A suggestion that the marriage laws of all sections of the Empire should be made uniform has been put forward by the New South Wales Minister of Justice, and, so far as this State, is concerned, he contemplates extensive reforms In this direction. The Minister goes further and suggests that wherever a law deals with matters of common concern in the Commonwealth and the Empire, its operation should be uniform throughout such territories. The Minister is having prepared a comparative statement showing the discrepancies between the laws of the States of the Commonwealth and of New Zealand on such vital matters as the requisites of a valid marriage, prevention of clandestinity. grounds for dissolution, safeguards against abuse of divorce, and so on. He also intends to ascertain to what extent his views on a uniform law is shared by the other States and New Zealand. Notice has already been given in the Assembly by the Minister of a Bill to facilitate the enforcement in New South Wales of maintenance orders made in England and other parts of the Empire. This is in accord with Imperial legislation, and will enable maintenance orders made in New South Wales to be enforced elsewhere in the Empire. It is regarded as a muchneeded and long-overdue measure of relief to deserted wives.