DESERTION AND DIVORCE
During the six years ending June 30, 1912, willful desertion was the most common ground for divorce in California. Extreme cruelty was a close second. These facts are taken from a report submitted by State Labor Commissioner McLaughlin to Governor Johnson. The average percentage of divorces to marriages for these six years was 12.9. About 50 per cent of the couples divorced were childless.
The large centers of population showed a much higher divorce rate than did the state as a whole.