HUSBAND SEEKS DIVORCE.

Northern Advocate, 22 August 1913, Page 4

HUSBAND SEEKS DIVORCE.

DECREE NISI GRANTED

Sitting in Divorce at the Supreme Court at Auckland, His Honour. Judge Edwards heard an application made by Alfred Charles Smith, a prospector, of Parua Bay (Dr Bamford), for the dissolution of his marriage with Ethel Mary Smith.

The parties, it was stated, were married on July 5, 1893, at Paparoa. After his marriage the petitioner and respondent lived at Paparoa, Matakohe, and other places in the county of Whangarei. There were two children born, one.in 1899, and Flora in 1905. Respondent left the petitioner without notice on March 15, 1910, since then she had not cohabited with him. On or about May 27, 1911, respondent gave birth to a child. Petitioner sought dissolution of the marriage and custody of the two children of the .marriage.

Respondent did not defend the action, but Mr Mays (Crown Prosecutor) appeared as "a friend of the court" to bring forward a written request made by respondent through the At-torney-General for the custody of the child Flora. She also set out a plea of poverty. Mr Mays stated that the Solicitor-General saw no reason to intervene. The other side agreed, he said, to respondent having the custody of the child named, and he asked His Honor to make an order to that effect in the event of a divorce being granted.

Petitioner, in the course of his evidence, stated that up to the time his wife left him, they had lived very happily, though they had quarrelled concerning men being about the house when he was away at work

His Honor granted a decree nisi, to be made absolute in three months, the question of the custody of the children to be decided at the. expiry of that period.