The Yale expositor., 1915-08-19
SECRETARY OF STATE GIVES IN.
TEREsTING FIGURES ON d.
VoRcEs IN STATE.
NUMBER is ON THE INCREASE
Secretary Burkart of State Board
Of Health Tells OF Causes of
Hay Fever and How to
Prevent Il
10y eurd M. Hayes.l

cases were pending in the courts or
Michigan last year, according to sta
tistics compiled by Secretary of State
Coleman C. Vaughan from data gath
cred from all the counties in the state
with the exception of Alger and OF
tawa
According to the compiled state
ments of the various county clerks
there were 1898 bills for divorce
pending in the courts of Michigan.
January /, 1914. During the year g.
637 couples demanded legal separation
by the courts, making a total of 25,475
cases under consideration last year.
Last year 1883 divorces were grant
ed. In 10 cases divorces were de-
MED by the courts, and S,OSS bills were
withdrawn, leaving 2O,199 to go over
to this year as divorces pending"
Taking 25,475 as the aggregate
number of cases before the courts,
the number granted would constitute
III per cent of the total number OF
petitions, while no less than 1871 per
cent remained pending" said Secre-
tary of State Vaughan" The number
refused and withdrawn amount to on
ly SO per cent.
"Such a comparison should be ia
ken only as a very general one, and
not as precisely indicating the ratio
Of divorces granted to actions begun in
the Michigan courts. The divorces
granted are based upon petitions filed
during 1914 and preceding years, and
with an increasing volume of divorce
business, more than the average num-
Der OF cases begun in 1914 would
remain Enacted upon, thereby render
Ing the ratio OF cases granted some
what too low"
In 1898 the total number of cases
pending was 2,475. In 1908 the num-
Der had increased to 1886 and last
year the total was 1888.
While the state department is OBJ
solutely certain that the number of
divorces granted each year is con-
stantly increasing. the rapid increase
in the number of cases pending is be-
lieved to be due in part to a better
system of reporting In 1897 the leg
islature passed a law requiring county
clerks to furnish this information to
the state department.
The records of the state department
show that in 1898 the total number OF
bills filed was 2,S9S and 1901 DEGREES
we're granted. According TO the Off
cial records ten years later the num-
Der Of bills filed had increased to A.
S23 and 5000 decree were granted
Last year 6,637 estranged couples
aired their martial woes in the courts
and 1853 separations were granted.
Secretary Vaughan says that Of the
1913 divorces granted in 1913, suits
were begun upon complaint OF the hus-
band in 1887 cases and upon COM
plant of the wife in 1881 cases. No
less than 1886 of the marriages dis
solved were performed in Michigan.
Only pa of these marriages were per-
formed in the adjacent states of Ohio,
Indiana and Wisconsin. In $50 cases
the parties were married outside the
three mentioned states, 387 were mar
ricd in Canada and 80 from other
foreign countries.
According to statistics gathered by
the state department no children re-
suited from the marriages in 2,O61
cases where divorces were granted In
1913. in 391 families there was only
one child and in 400 cases there were
two children. Further investigation
shows that in 245 families there were
three children. The total number of
children deprived of the family rela-
ton was 1852 or about one child on
an average for each divorce.
In 11s cases the marriage had ex-
listed for less than one year and III
1,1s1 cases marriage existed under
FIVE years.
"As the average duration OF mar
rage before divorce Is about ten
years. end as at least two living chill
dren are necessary to maintain any
class of the population in a merely
stationary condition without natural
decrease. It may be inferred that the
population from which the divorce
rate Is derived mas HOt Deeu iaSIOA
in the natural increase of the state
and is not even self sustaining with
reference to point of numbers" said
Secretary Vaughan.
December 81. 1914, there were 5,50s
divorce cases pending in Wayne coun-
ty, 2,O4s bills we're filed last year and
1885 DEGREES we're granted.
Saginaw county-1,005 cases pend
ing 1913 bills filed and 1876 decree5
granted.
Kent county-1,711 cases pending,
5S1 bills filed and 26O DEGREES grant
ed.
Jackson county-621 cases pending,
1Se bills filed and 129 divorces grant
ed.
Ingham county-517 cases psndine,
is5 bills filed and 1877 DEGREES granted.
Genesee county S97 cases pending
2O1 tills nlsd and 1Os DEGREES grant
ed.