BUSY DIVORCE COURTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16317, 18 April 1927, Page 8

BUSY DIVORCE COURTS

EFFECT OF THE NEW ACT. LONDON,, March 8. “We have little doubt in our own mind that now, owing to the absence of publicity, the Divorce Court will be much more freely resorted to,’’ states the “Law Times’’ in commenting on the working of the new Judicial Proceedings (Regulation of Reports) Act. The paper goes on te say: “One of the chief objections that were put forward bv the opponents of the Act was that tho effect- of the restriction on tho publication of reports of divorce cases would be to increase the number of petitions owing to the absence of the deterrent of publicity. It is perhaps -too early to say that their prognostications have proved correct, but the growth of matrimonial cases sot down for trial since the beginning of the year certainly gives color to the .accuracy of the .forecast. At the beginning of the Hilary sittings, .192(5, there were 452 undefended divorce cases entered in London, and at the beginning of the present sittings the figure was 488. It has now boon necessary to issue a supplemental list of cases in .this division for a further 282 undefended divorce cases have been entered during the past two months.

“It must also be borne in mind that undefended cases arc now tried at various assizes throughout the country, and at present those figures are not available. Of course, all this may be due to the expedition of the Court in disposing of the lists, cases being put into the printed lists which would not normally so appear until the begin whig of the Easter sittings.”