RECORD ARREARS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19966, 7 December 1926, Page 8

RECORD ARREARS.

A DEFAULTING HUSBAND. MAINTENANCE ORDER IGNORED. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, December 6. “I think your Worship will agree that this amount is just about a record so fax as arrears in maintenance are concerned, said Mr P. Jackson in the Magistrate s Court to-day, when appearing on behalf of Mrs Evelyn Hastie, of Gisborne, who applied for an order for the payment of arrears amounting to £986, which, were owing on maintenance orders made in 1921 against her husband, William Hastie, in respect of herself and her two children. The orders, said Mr Jackson, were made by Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M. Mrs Hastie was to receive £3 a Week for herself, and 10s for each of the children—a total of £4 a week. The defendant was now in arrears to the extent of £735 on the order in favour of his wife, and to the extent of £251 on the other. At the time Mr Hunt made the orders Hastie was the chief officer on one of the Northern Steamship Company’s boats at Auckland. He paid £3O in 1922, and then he seemed to have disappeared. He was located this month, however, at Christchurch, where he was employed in a picture theatre. Counsel suggested that an order for the payment of so much arrears each week might be made in favour of the wife, the information in regard to the children’s maintenance to be adjourned sine die. His Worship: The order in respect of the wife is very large, but no doubt the court was considering the position Hastie occupied at that time. I cannot very well make an order now that will absorb all his salary. You say. Mr Jackson, that the defendant is employed in a picture theatre. No doubt he is an usher or something of that sort. Mr Jackson: Not necessarily, sir. He might be the manager. At any rate, he has not put in an appearance, nor has he written explaining his position. The Magistrate: He seems to have ignored the whole thing. The defendant was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended so long as he keeps up the order for £3 a week and pays his wife 10s each week in reduction of the arrears. The information in regard to the childn i was adjourned sine die.