ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25135, 28 January 1943, Page 4

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

Questions* Avill-.not be .answered unless accompanied by- the name and address of correspondents.

R. S., Omakau.—The bird is probably the pied oyster catcher. _ . “ fair Play,” Cromwell. —We find that we were in error in informing you that the wage of £4 13s a week or 17s a day payable to a' person serving as assistant to'a shearers’ cook is increased by the bonuses of 5. per cent, awarded by the Arbitration Court. The general orders of the court do not apply to the agreement under which these rates are fixed.. “ Inquirer.”—(l) The plane involved in the crash on the West Coast on December 21 was a Dragon Fly twin-engined machine. (2) The main purpose of the ailerons of an aeroplane is to maintain lateral level. (3) The take-off speed of a Moth plane depends on the load and the manner in which it is flown. A machine of this type may become air-borne at a speed of 45 miles an hour, but, in practice, the speed is a little higher. / " Urgent.”—The Social Security Department has the power to appoint an agent for the collection of an age benefit if it is satisfied that the beneficiary is incapable of managing his own affairs. A husband may leave home and still collect the benefit. It is unlikely that he would be accepted as an inmate of an old people’s home if it was clear that he could be cared for in his own home. Unless they were legally separated, the income of both parties would still be taken into consideration during their separation in fixing the amount of the benefit. " Interested Wife,” Mosgiel.—(l) In proceedings for a separation order, application may also be made for a guardianship order and the custody of the children. These matters are decided on the evidence before the court. (2) Infidelity in itself is not a ground upon which application may be made for a separation order, but it might form the basis of an application on the ground of persistent cruelty. (3) The husband would be entitled to petition for a divorce if the separation order had been in continuous effect for a a period of three years, but, if the court was satisfied that the existence of the order had been due to the misconduct of the husband, it might decline to grant the petition. It is advisable to refer questions of the kind which you ask to a solicitor, who. with a full knowledge of the facts, would be in a position to answer them more directly.