MARRIED FOUR HOURS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18354, 21 March 1923, Page 11

MARRIED FOUR HOURS.

HUSBAND DISMISSES WIFE.

PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE.

A marriage which lasted only four hour 3 was the cause of proceedings taken before Mr. .7. \V. Poyuton, SM., in the Police Court yesterday, to compel William Alexander Stone, of Christchurch, to comply with a maintenance order for the support of his wife and child. Mr. A. Moody appeared for the wife, and Mr. Hunt, instructed by Mr. Thomas, of Christchurch, appeared for the husband. The arrears of maintenance were put down at £25 10s. In a written statement made in Christchurch, defendant said he was married in 1921, but lived with his wife only four hours after the ceremony. He had lost his employment in the Post and Telegraph Department at ChristchuVch through being arrested at work because he could not keep up payments under tha maintenance order for £1 10s a week. He was paying £4 10s a week for board, washing and mending for himself and two children by his first wife. These children were now aged 15 and 18 respectively. He had thus expended £85 since he was dismissed from the service. When he drew his superannuation, he had debts amounting to £169, which had been owing for about 18 months and which he maintained had been incurred directly ■ and indirectly through complainant. On every occasion that he had to pay maintenance instalments he was forced to borrow. It was stated that recent proceeding by the husband for a variation of the order had failed. Mr. Moody said the husband sent his wife to her'mother at Auckland, where he promised to join her, but failed to do so Complainant, in evidence, said she had tried teaching music to earn a living, but found it impossible to keep up when she had her baby to care for. The separation was due to no • wish on her part. She had no income, but was living with her mother. Counsel for defendant said the unfortunate result of instituting the proceedings was that defendant had been thrown out of employment and all means of supporting his wife had consequently teen taken away. The elder of the two children living with defendant was an invalid and incapable of working. In reply to further questions complainant intimated that she was 20 years of age when she married and her husband about 44. The magistrate ordered defendant to pay the arrears at the rate of 5s a week and continue regular payments, failing which he would be imprisoned for six months.