MARRIAGES SAVED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22183, 9 August 1935, Page 11

MARRIAGES SAVED

NEW COUIT POLICY "HUMANISED" PROCEEDINGS SUCCESS OF ENGLISH PLAN By Telosraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received August 8, 8.5 p.m.) British Wireless RUGE'Y. Aug. 7 A report has been issued by one of the metropolitan magistrates, Mr. Claud Mullins, upon the new procedure in the hearing of-matri-monial disputes which was introduced at the beginning of tho year at the South-western Police Court. The experiment has aroused considerable interest' in circles concerned with legal and social reform, and the first seven months' results are commented upon favourably in the press. , * Tho policy of the Court has been to see as far as possible that applicants for separation orders under summary procedure realised tho consequences that would follow the order before the summons was issued; to facilitate interviews between the parties and the Court's probation: officers out of Court, in advance of tho public hearings; and to humaniso proceedings so as to ensure .that magistrates got to understand the real causes ,of each case of domestic misunderstanding;. With the last-named object hearings were Generally hold, not in the Police Court, but in tho magistrate's consulting room. In the first seven months 220 summonses had been issued, of which 38 cases were settled out of court after interviews with the probation officers, and seven after hearings following further talks with the probation officers. In 63 cases where the proceedings were adjourned or interim orders were granted there were no further proceedings, while 23 cases were dismissed. Of the total of 220 cases, therefore, only 89 cases resulted in final orders for separation and/or maintenance. Tho report states that the magistrate is satisfied that no one is denied his or her legal rights under the procedure, while hearings on the oldfashioned lines would certainly have resulted in a considerably greater number of fingl orders.