CURIOUS COMPENSATION CASE

Otago Witness, Issue 2850, 28 October 1908, Page 28

CURIOUS COMPENSATION CASE

MAORI MARRIAGE INTOLTED. AUCKLAND, October 23. A claim for compensation of a more than usually interesting character was heard at the Arbitration Court to-day. It was a claim for £200 compensation brought by a Maori under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents ,A<Jt in respect of the death of his, eon through an, accident. The claimant is John Puhi Matthew, a. carpenter, «b©-- was repre- > eented by Mr' F. Earl. Respondents an Messrs Gibson and' Fyfield, .iawmiilers. Before opening his case Mr Earl said that, apart from the merits- of the oaoe. - a very important question of law had been raised by counsel for the respondents a«j to the effect of a Maori marriage — . firstly a murriage according to Ma-eri custqnusv and secondly a marriage by a Maori clergyman, perhaps not in strict accordance with the Marriage Act. In the answer to the claim filed it was claimed that claimant was not the father of deceased. The- circumstances of the case were briefly that claimant was a Native, and was married according to Maori custom to his wife some 20 years ago. He lived with bis wife and witb no other woman, and according to Maori custom she was bis wife. There was a> large number of children issue of the marriage, the eldest of whom was the unfortunate boy wfoo was killed in the accident, and who was at the time of his death 18 years of age. He was born while the parties were subject only to the marriage by Maori custom. Ther» were farther developments in. the matrimonial history of bis parents, but the parties lived together under the Maori marriage until 1896, when, on the solicitations of some of their European friends, they were married by a Maori oleTgyman at Waiotu, in the WaUcato, and they had since lived together * under their European names. The question would arise upon those facts as' to whether the father, the natural father of the ' boy i who was killed, was the father within the meaning' of the act, and therefore a dependent within the meaning of the act. He. asked* that, evideaice bef. heard to-day and that argument on the question of law be beard daring next week. Mr M'Veagh, for respondents, recognised 1 that" the- cpieafcrbn involved was ona of a very important character. It was one tfcat" affected the legal statue of a great many of the inhabitants of New Zealand. ' - • The claimant said he had been married when he was between 18 and 20 years of age. According to Maori custom, the marriage was arranged by the chiefs of the Ngatihuri and Ngatiraupawa tribes. His wife had been given to liim at a meeting. That was the usual method of a Maori marriage. Witnees had gone through another form of marriage in 1896 at Waiotu, the ceremony being conducted by a Maori Church of England clergyman, as his father, not liking the old Maori method, desired him to be remarried. . * The ca.ie was adjourned.

Some practical jokers extracted a littl* amusemenit at the expense of Mr J. Metzger, of Invercargill. He had a very fine brown goat, which was put to death. Tha goat's skin was also very fine, so fine that Mr Metzger decided to bring it to tow» and have it 6tuffed. The practical jokers wired to the police informing them that* - Mr Metzger was brin«in.g a deer skin to town, and. deer skins being contraband,, some policemen met Mr Metzger it tie» station, and made inquiries of him. aboutf^ the contents of a certain package wrapped in brown paper. Expert examiners de^ clared it was a deer skin, and the police took charge of it for a little time. Then! explanations were made. Storrie'a Rodger is the only one with! patent hillside attachment and facilities for packing drills where the land is dry.— Nimmo and Blaug