SUPREME COURT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1061, 25 February 1911, Page 10

SUPREME COURT.

'fill: FAMILY PROTECTION ACT.

gpkNb::£. DISPpTED' .WILL!" fe; 'An' actioa' under" tht>' Family' Pfotcciion'i Act, 'concerning; tho cetsito of tlio latoMrs.i Elizabeth Green, of 'Wellingjbort,%Wa's; heard in Banco. Mr, ;Justk:o ,Chapman. Tlio plaintiffs wero Louisa Margaret Palmer, married wdnif.n: Margaret - Louisa Jano'Taylor, tmajricd woman; Emnui Christina Waljitor, marr)ed,;womati;. arid Henry Frapj »'ois;, Green, hairdresser' (all of ellingf; ton), ;and tho children.of tho late Mrs. VGrooii.' Tlio defendants wero Reginald. i"Herb;rt.AVobb, of Wclliugton, solicitor, '"and irhas. - John Munn, of' Wellington, • settler, executors, ,under tho t will ot tho Green; '' , ' v; *' -Mr;' G." Toogood appeared for plauw fvtiffsj': Mr." Webb for tho" oxccutors, and rMr. .;D. Mi - Findlay 'represented Miss t JBailey, sister of dceeased, a beneficiary ll'.nridei'; tlio will. . v * i\ '' Plaintiffs claimed to. be entitled to f. en ; Jorder''under, tho" Protection I'Act, making suclc provision for them 1.,0r,i56m0 of thein as" tho Court should S.dciinifit out'of tho: estate pf tho f nbpve-namod testator, and . .for.' such, furthtir. order! ,as in' tlio circumstances f might-; bo just, upon\tho grounds that. S- tlio tostator < died loaving, a win; dated ;( July>2D,s"l9lo;;'without,. miking adci quato;; provi siop thoroi n for. tlio, proper f. -inaintcnSrico anjl support of the, ;nlani}''Ot: t','iln.j opening Ifr.'Mobgood ?'remarked that: on or about November 1906, ' Mrs. ;• Green died,-:' leaving. a will whereby sho left; evetytliing. to.tho j' children'. 1 in ; equal" shares';" iubjcPt Vto *a. rlifo': interest to Kcr ,sister," Sarah Bai1' ley; On Dcccmbor 6, 1910 Mr£ Green {'made (another' .trill.',' mating- ovcrvthing. f. to v sistor,' Saran Bailoy, ab&olutely. - ( stato 'iWas worth something {like. {•,'£930,; were six'.'.children - m tho Kftinily,'" four of hVhom 'wOTo'plaintiffsin ijthofaction; • Tho other two, ho undcrSstoodjv'wcro gmnp'.ovidonco on behalf | ofi'doicndants. Tlirco of thd plaintilfs K\vo^l'maYriM Pl w6men;'.y their "{husbands [jKeltig icitsrial.<labouror3. ''Henry F.rari;v boon • a but t now," owing' to"his physical- condition, unable, to do,work of,any kind. or, 30 ,yeiirs''of ago. : Ono >of \tho femalpi plaintiffs/had only. ono leg; . but the other", two wero abloi bwied, womfen, i though nbt 'in ''flourish-' r;ing '6c)'ndition, -financially. Ho thought ithat i-lio Co'iift should mako tlio-order, [•.takinc into consideration; all tlio surcircumstanccs of tho,case. *. sistor ;of ' tho deooawl, 1 statea Vtliat'''"shp "• 66 ;iypar"stof"agb','ahd'suffcred from sciatica, g Snp^Wfd-»liVed ; witli'.her'ibrothcrs-.at; Lit-, f the' Akaloa* for «oni&. timo on a.SOO-acro ■fdairy farm", • but came to Wellington fo livo thirteen voars ago. ; Her_ eldest iirothtr had- written t<), Ucr, pffcjiiig. her 'aphonic' at' onco or at any, time'that %sljb' liked,- but /Akaloa . did; notagreo ' with' kcr health. ;,'v : : : - .'" - Sho | bid . managed ' licr. late sister's arid.had:put all,tholmoney sho ,i"earn«uinto tl(o : "Apart from what "hfir f'sutcrleftloYTsli'o !only- sufficient ) Sho f Muld ; not livo.thojjintcreet, ofj the money represented If tho estate was ; realised on.. ', v ' . iVRuQ Jiwf Mary Munn,, an intimate friend •tof.• debased. <stated 6ho .arid Miss -' Bailivl liad worked very .hard to keep 5 her )^«ter's! affairs: 1 and. in- the b»l«fl8id; • on; ono oc- :: casion'vv'a' few- '.veeks, before heir;, death, f/that, if sho bad any, quantity of money, ftshfr'would' any.: Dr.i ! lzard£atotc& Uh'at? ho ? ined Henry Francis Green, and > had ; ; found;!him to be suffering'; from- an-jiil;; i! curable complaint. 'u-It' would bo-quitfr vimpostiiblb for him to: do any work .. . >,?>' Evidence, as, to the; position of family 6 ! affairs i was alsb 'given by Goo. l f ., Green, (( Mrs; Louisa Margaret Palmer,' Mrs. fe' MargireV L. J.' Taylor, Mrs. v.Munn, f-!Miss, Emma :0. falter, ht • v* ■ ? 1 x |)h "Mr.' DOfi' Findlay 'submft\ed'ttiaV/Ajn 1, £' the, evidence, thero was not much moro il'in'tbo'estato'per year4.l»an between £35 'l and JE'lOiif-.'Htis Ming';fpj;it.scmiM that. !"jif 'i this Umall living ivras .tp lipj'diyided >: in jany way that .would carry.-' ,?objebt!iiii'hich thp jplaintiffs'had'intcoming;:;' to Court, ;there; ■. would c; not ( ',bo - 'sufficientto rolidvoi anybody's ■ Mis. ;;.;Baileyv' was,*, ' ho -^entitled x t6": thoestate merely on 'account of the ; fact;that |-i it ';had- been; given ■ by ; her sister .nrider wiUf 1 hut ;becausei'jn a jlargo; mea|V;sure, lit beronged, .tft'her, .already.' The, 'son was tho 'only Jono of, tho' plaintiffs who'sb: caso could,- ho-'urged, , bo" open b. to .tho I serious consideration of ijho |;,-'co\irt,' 1 if, tho.' court, to (•?; leayo'jMiss,;'Bailev s this i ;bare liviiig for Kj her : l ;lifo'.'only, that did not help the soni .iThero were,' ho urged, two altcrnatives: To dcstroy Miss Bailoy's small''inheritance;'' (2) to mato, some f'.-.order which was. of no nso to anybody s -.except,;.that -it , tied .the j property-up, j .■> and gavo' -to f|ho applicants before* the f iv, coyrt-a. problematical rqvcrslonary in- [ - torest. ! Tlio■ court only had, to nieet ■' the I-. claims tof Quarried .daughters'' whoso, husbands l ;wcro;'carhing , 'ert6ugh to ; keep K, them.: Miss - Bailey only had,' -as the \ last resort,. tlio';; righta tlio Destitute s ..Persons'; Act. would ■ givo-r her, against M-'.lcri brothers.' Ilhev.o.iwere, ho inrged. ' two outstanding coiisitloratioiisJ: . which j,. would'-justify "the court ,in refusing tho I - order., Tlio first/was. tho smallncss of f; tho estate, which would not realise moroi-<: than £800 after expenses had been paid, t. and tho'second was that claimants, other' f., than the' son Henry, wero not in need of p maintenance; r Another. point was?' that ! k- the estatp practically belonged to Miss |. : Bailev.V ... .;; •. -V :,> . ■ ; Mr, 'Toogood remarked that tho two j, able-bodied jdaintiffs wcro willing to waive any claim which they had if their t: claim was likely, to affect tjhat of tlio I. \ 4on wlio could not work, and tho dau'ghtei, who had-lost ono of her legs. Thcso t two '.parties, Mr. Toogood urged, had I - moro natural urgent claim on tho estato [ .'than Mrs. Bailey had. ' His Honour, in reserving his decision, > aaid that in some respects tho caso'presented''features ivhicli had not been [;:• covered in 'previous, cares of tjbo kiid.