THE COURTS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 10 February 1923, Page 8

THE COURTS.

4 A UNIQUE CASE. .(BY TKLEGEArH—FUES3 ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, Feb. 9. A case, said to be unique in New Zealand law annals, was heard by Mr. E. O. Cutten in the Magistrate's Court, when an application order was sought by a young married" woman against Rangipouri Marumaru, described as a first grade licensed Interpreter, who did not appear. | Counsel for complainant stated that 1 both complainant and her husband { were white people. The husband was engaged by defendant at £6 a week to work on hisr farm at Rata. near Marton, and was given a house on the property. The husband made constant reference to being in love with a woman in England, and frequently urged his wife to go to defendant so tiiat he could go to the other woman. About August, 1920. the two men met at the cottage, spending several j hours in settling the terms of an extraj ordinary transaction, namely, that the J husband should depart and leave his wife to defendant an consideration of the payment of a large sum of money, believed to be £400. The husband left, but about two o'clock on. tho fourth morning afterwards returned, entering the cottage through a window. The Maori and the woman had meanwhile lived as husband and wife, but the husband stated it was no good to him, as the cheques had proved to be. valueless. The two men spent the remainder of the night in conversation in the kitchen, the complainant passing the time crying in bed. The husband re- , sumed former' relationship with his wife, and in May, 1921, a child was born, which was obviously half-caste. After complainant had given evidence on the lines of counsel's statement the magistrate adjourned the case for a fortnight to allow the husband to be notified of the proceedings.