MAINTENANCE ORDERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13637, 5 July 1906, Page 8

MAINTENANCE ORDERS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sm,—Would you grant mo a little space in your valuable columns to explain (hat which I consider the very hard and unjust verdicts given in the above cases in our local courts. Of course it is very difficult to tell which is the real deserving one to which it should be given freely, but I consider a person is not entitled to an order who has been in the colony for over 30 years and had only one child to keep and' who lias not even done that, but spent his money in drink. Now that his or her son is married and steady, working his best to better bis position in life- under the small wages which he earns, it is unjust to ask him to contribute up to his last sixpence,' and thus perhaps force him to live on charity in his old ape. It is no encouragement for him to do well, for the simple reason, if he betters himself, ho will only have to pay the more. It should be clearly proved by applicants for orders that it is not for drink they want it and that thoy are really destitute. If parents through their own folly are living in poor circumstances it is not, to my thinking, just, that they should drag their child, down to the samo level as themselves. As 1 said before, there is no •-'ticouragemenl, for tho worker to try and make himself and familv comfortable if he \i to he taxed to the utmost by his parents. Considering ihe prices that have to be ;iaid for food, clothing, and rent, there is not much left for anyone to putaway for a rainy daw—-1 am, etc.. Medium Tax.