LATE JOHN EDSON'S ESTATE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 30, 5 February 1925, Page 8

LATE JOHN EDSON'S ESTATE.

INTERPRETATION OF WILLS. MIAIiKs l-'ull Tin-: CIIANDCHII.DIIKN. Two judgments ~,' m,- .lustii-c Stringer were delivered at the Supreme Conn tin February •_'. originating stiminonsi-- is,ued im- ihe interpretation of il"- wills „ft l, c - |;, tr- John Kelson. chemist, who died on September -27. ami of his wife. Susan Kelson, who died about twelve months later. The present value of the estates, which were jointly valued at £ro,fHi.-> 111 . is about £100.0011. The judgment* dealt particularly with the amounts of the benefits coming to certain grandchildren, ami the times of payment. Mr. Kelson bad left a life interest in the whole estate to his widow, and after her death to his three children. upon whose deaths the estate was to lie divided in certain proportions anion'' the grandchildren. One point uf interpretation was the meaning of a gift to one grandchild of "one-sixth of the share of each uf my •surviving children.'' It. was argued on behalf of the grandchild, that this meant one-sixth of the total estate, but bis Honor held that one-sixth of the share of each could only mean oneeighteenth of the estate. The other main point was the interpretation of a clause which, the judge said, was extremely puzzling owing to its contradictory provisions. In the result he declared that the latter part of this clause of the will, giving powers of ; appointment to the children among the i grandchildren, should be rejected as contradictory and void. Costs to all parties were to be paid out of the estate. The lounscl in the two eases were Mr. Richmond, for the trustee company, the Guardian Trust and Executors Company, Ltd.; Mr. Campbell, for the children of ihe late Mr. and Mrs. Kdson"; Mr. West, for all the grandchildren except Mr. J. S. Horrell. for whom Mr. Kogerson appeared.