CAUSE FOR DIVORCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17130, 4 September 1926, Page 5

CAUSE FOR DIVORCE

GOVERNMENT PROBLEM THE HABITUAL CRIMINAL (Parliamentary Reporter.) • WELLINGTON, this day. A private Bill, introduced by .Mr." J. Mason, member for Napier, to secure* for Mildred Elain Smyth a divorce from her husband, which was considered by the House of Representatives incidentally raised the question of whether an additional "cause of divorce should be u inserted in the statutes. A committee" which took evidence on the Bill recommended that it should proceed, and this was generally approved by members, who detailed "the facts as disclosed to the Select Committee, Mr. E. J. Howard mentioning that Mrs. Smyth married a man who had 17 convictions for false pretences, and was serving a sentence todav.

' Opposition to the Bill came from Mr. J. S. Dickson, who asked if it was fair that while he average person could not get a divorce on the ground ; that f one party to a marriage was an habitual criminal others aihle to pay the cost of Parliamentary proceedings could succeed. He demanded of the Prime Minister a statement of the Government's attitude on thd question: Whether it would Include being an habitual criminal as a*, cause.for divorce?. ..„._, GOVERNMENT'S POLICY. The Prime Minister laughingly declared that the only man in the House capable, of "drawing"- him. was-; theSenior Government Whip. The position as it appeared to him, without pretending to any knowledge of the law, was that members of Parliament had. certain rights.- They could bring in a private'Bill, and the House was master of its own Actions. He could not see that the Government policy came into such a matter; otherwise it_ would be impossible for a private memoes to promote a Bill without the Government's sanction. Mr. H. E. Holland: Generally speaking, it is not worth while now. (Laughter.) ■-/ " ■.-:■ ', . .'■ ."■ The Prime Minister added that he could not remember a case where the Government had interfered with a .private Bill, which had to" go through a severe ordeal in committee, and 4t was for the House to say whether the committee's recommendations would be accepted. As to what the Government's policy on such a matter as was involved in the particular But, he could tell his questioner that he had not considered the question, but he would only be too glad to ask his colleague, thei AttorneyGeneral,, to .give it consideration, and in due course inform him and the country as a whole what action the Government proposed to take in similar cases. ;