THE MOKAU JONES ESTATE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18827, 30 September 1924, Page 5

THE MOKAU JONES ESTATE.

Sir,—ln the/report of 'maintenance proceedings taken by Miss Winifred Jones against her brothers, appearing in the Herald of the 29th ; inst., the ; following statement appears':--" Mr. Hall Skelton produced a document showing that, in 1910, Joshua Jones, familiarly known ;as ' Mokau Jones/ transferred, a large Awakino property to his wife and two daughters. Apparently, said counsel,- ; v one of the sons leased the property rom r- his mother and sisters, paying the former £2 a; week. Applicant was later induced to sign away her interest in the estate, and for some time she had been practically ' destitute." This statement is misleading, and as it may appear to cast a slur on some of those concerned, we desire to place the true facts on record, and to point out that the statement that Mr. Joshua Jones transferred a large property to his wife and two daughters is incorrect, and the suggestion that any member of the family was induced to sacrifice any interest in this property is unfounded. ; The true facts are as follow:—In 1895, Mr. Walter Jones purchased from his father's creditors a portion of his father's estate, which was at that time being sold up by the mortgagees. Shortly afterwards, when the present plaintiff was about ten years old, Mr. Walter Jones entered into a partnership agreement with his mother njRS her family, under which the propel/ was worked, for the benefit of the mother and all her children, until 1910, this being purely a gratuitous act on his part. During this period, Mr. Walter Jones maintamed a home, apart from the farm, for his mother and sisters. In 1910 the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Walter Jones entered into an agreement, whereby he agreed to pay, for the benefit of his mother and sisters, an annuity of £104. during his mother's lifetime, and in addi- | tion agreed to pay the rental of the home at Mokau so long as the parents resided there. These payments have always been maintained by him. None of the mem-1 bers of the .family of the late Mr. Joshua J Jones has derived any benefit from his interest in the Mokau Estate, which was sold by his mortgagees. Mr. Hall Skelton, since making the statements attributed to him in the papers, has investigated all the transactions between • the family, and is thoroughly satisfied that the foregoing is the correct statement of the whole position. A. Halt, Skeltow. G. H. Wallace.