DIVORCE PETITIONS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21504, 17 November 1939, Page 6

DIVORCE PETITIONS

IDENTIFYING ABSENT PARTIES By Telegraph —Press Association AUCKLAND, November 16. Support lor the recent pronouncement by Mr Justice Northcroft as to the desirability of absent parties in divorce proceedings being identified by their photographs rather than by their signatures was given by Mr Justice Callan in the Supreme Court during the hearing of an undefended divorce petition. Mr Justice Callan said that he entirely agreed with Mr Justice Northcroft’s remarks. The method of getting from respondent a written acknowledgment that papers had been served and then getting the spouse to stand up in Court and identify the writing was unsatisfactory. In this case petitioner had also identified the respondent to p person serving the papers, but that was not wholly satisfactory either. It would be easy to get someone to admit he was respondent "for the price of a beer.” The production of a photograph of the respondent and identification from it of the person served with the papers allowed one to Be certain. He was aware that counsel in this case followed general practices, but photographs were much to be preferred.