Lord Blanesburgh:-

Questions of wide general importance-of interest in some of their aspects to the whole Dominion and even beyond-are raised by this appeal from the Supreme Court of the Province of Alberta. The questions discussed in the judgments appealed from are concerned with the degree of publicity called for at the trial of divorce suits-in particular undefended divorce suits in the Province: their Lordships however will have to deal, in addition, with the effect upon and decree nisi made at such a trial and upon a decree absolute following thereon when it is shown-as in this case is alleged, that the proceedings at the trial were devoid of sufficient publicity-were, in short, not held in "Open Court." The facts which raise these questions are not in the present case in dispute and may be stated as follows :

The appellant and the respondent- they will throughout be generally so referred to-were married on 17th April 1908, in the United States. Their subsequent matrimonial domicile however was in Alberta. They lived at Edmonton where they must have been prominent citizens-the respondent in 1931, being, or shortly afterwards succeeding to the office of Minister of Public Works f