THEATRICAL MISFIT

NZ Truth, Issue 985, 11 October 1924, Page 8

THEATRICAL MISFIT

Attendant Marries The Box Office

Husband's Grievance,

A young and pretty woman sat m the Wellington Maintenance Court this week. Pressed m a neat blue costume, and wearing an expensive set of furj, Dolores Hodgson claimed maintenance from 1 Alec Hodgson, extreasurer of the Tivoli Theatre, Wellington. The facts as revealed by Lawyer Jackson, who appeared for Mrs. Hodgson, disclosed a tragic state of affairs. Both parties are quite young and after marriage they continued their work m the theatrical business. Mrs. Hodgson continued her occupation as an attendant m the theatre, under her maiden name, at a salary of £2 per week, and the defendant received £6 per .week as treasurer. During this time they had no home life, but lived together at the Balmoral Hotel. Then Mr. Hodgson went away on tour, as manager of a company, at a salary of £10 per week, and remained away twelve weeks without giving his wife a penny. Complainant was pregnant and had practically no financial resources. Stepping into the box, Mrs. Hodgson said that when she married, her husband was out of work. Later he got work at.the Tivoli, and then went on tour. In reply to her request for money, he made certain allegations regarding her, and suggested that he should nay her £2 per week maintenance if m return she would sign a document permitting him to leave the country. She preferred, however, to bring the matter to Court m view, of the fact that she was expecting a child. Questioned by Lawyer Treadwell, who appeared for the husband, witness denied that she had ever been m a drunken condition. It was untrue that she had ever been found m her bedroom with two glasses of whisky, a cigar, and m a semi-clothed condition. Once her husband had seen her getting out of a motor car with a man, but she had not been anywhere with him. . At this .stage Mrs. Hodgson became very agitated and Magistrate . OrrWalker suggested that, m view of her condition, it would be unfortunate if the case was allowed to proceed. Lawyer Treadwell explained that the husband felt "very hardly about the matter." He did not wish to continue his cross-examination from humanitarian motives, but at the present time his client did not possess £2. He had pawned his watch and contemplated selling a trunk belonging to him. After further legal argument, Magistrate Orr- Walker made an order of £2 per week maintenance.