COST STATE £2000.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20281, 16 April 1934, Page 7

COST STATE £2OOO.

Upkeep of Five Children for Nine Years. MAINTENANCE CASE. Since 1925 the five children of William John Howell have cost the State close on £2OOO. This fact was mentioned by Senior-Sergeant Fox in the Maintenance Court this morning, when Ilowell was charged with disobedience of a maintenance order. It was stated that defendant owed £602 7s lOd in respect of a maintenance order affecting his wife, and the amount owing as far as the children were concerned was £264 5s 6d. “ The police view is that he deserves all the imprisonment he can be given —and that, unfortunately, is only six months.” said the seior-sergeant. “ It is much better that he should pay as much as he can, rather than that he should go to gaol and escape it all,” said Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., in ordering defendant to come up for sentence if called on within six months, the condition being that he should pay as much as possible in respect to the order. “ Have no doubt,” he said, “ you’ll get the full six months if you do not do your best.” In the course of cross-examination, Senior-Sergeant Fox said that in the 3'ears from the first separation in 1925 to June, 1931, the cost of the children’s keep to the State had been £IO7O. Since then that amount had been almost doubled. Defendant said he had been earning only £1 a week for some time past—as a debt collector.