The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Tuesday, January 19, 1886. DECEASED PERSONS’ ESTATES.

Waipawa Mail, Volume IX, Issue 882, 19 January 1886, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Tuesday, January 19, 1886. DECEASED PERSONS’ ESTATES.

Tins Act was passed last session, and makes some very important amendments in matters referring* to duties payable under the Act of 1881 on the estates of deceased persons. The Advocate contains a summary of the most noticeable features in the Act, from which we freely quote : —“ It is a common impression that when a man or woman dies without making a will, his or her relatives may, if the property he not largo, hold it without letters of administration. The Act of 1885 in--11 icts a “maximum penalty of £SOO for such conduct, in addition to the duties which are payable on the estate. The object of this is to prevent the misappropriation of property. No property of a person dying abroad is to vest in any person within the colony, unless administration be granted within the colony. No English or other probate or administration is to have effect, unless rescaled in the colony. Rc-sealing of foreign probates may he made under The Tnterclonial Probate Act, 187‘J. All such probates and letters of administration must bo sent to the Stamp Office before being issued. In all cases the j Commissioner may insist upon duty being paid upon the value of real property, with the buildings and improvements thereon, ' as assessed at the time of the death of deceased, for the purpose of The Property Assessment Act, 1870, and its amendments, and of any buildings or improvements made since the date of the last assessment. There is a very stringent provision made in regard to “ deeds of gift.” Under the previous law, “deeds of gift” were frequently made the means of cheating the public treasury of a large amount of lawful dues. “Deed of gift” is defined to mean every deed of gift absolute, every conveyance, transfer, or other disposition of property made by any person to take effect during his lifetime, and not being made before, or in consideration of, marriage. “ Deeds of gift” arc to pay the same duty as settlements whereof the trusts take effect after the death of the settler. Every “deed of gift” must bo registered within ji certain specified time, under heavy penalties. Those persons who desire to bestow property “ out of pure love and affection ” ostensibly, but really to defraud the revenue, arc thoroughly and justly checkmated.

There is to be no duty imposed on property coming to a widow fr»m her deceased husband, or to a widower from his deceased wife. This is a perfectly proper provision, for, according to the received notion of Christian society, the husband and wife are one. Each of them helps to accumulate what property they may possess, and virtually it is the common property of the two. The schedule of duties payable on the estates of deceased persons, on the final balance, under the new Act is as follows (1) Not exceeding £IOO, no duty ; (2) upon any amount exceeding£loo, butnot exceeding £I,OOO, no duty on the first £IOO, and on the remainder 24 per cent. ; (3) upon any amour.t exceeding £I,OOO, but not exceeding £5,000, 3£ per cent. : (4) upon any amount exceeding £5,000, and up to £20,000, 7 per cent. ; (5) upon £20,000, and any amount over that sum, 10 percent. ; strangers in blood, excepting adopted children, £3 per cent, additional. GRATITUDE IN WAIPAWA. After the Napier Fire Brigade had finished their labors in this town—labors that were highly appreciated and deserving of the greatest praise—the question of remunerating both the brigade and the men by raising a public subscription was mooted. It was then decided to leave the matter in tire hands of the Town Board, which happened to meet on the evening after the fire, and a sum of £lO was finally voted by that body. The members who voted this sum of money knew nothing of the cost of repairing the injured hose, neither were they aware of the terms upon which the men had been engaged in Napier. The £lO was granted, and no more was heard about it, the members of the Board believing that they had recompensed the volunteers for their loss and services. It appears, however, from some sarcasticremarks that have been made by the Herald that the members of the Brigade are not satisfied with the grant. The Herald relates some incidents with a view to shewing how ungrateful the people of Waipawa are, which may or may not be true. One at least of them is mistaken ; we refer to the remark that the “ local “ journal stated that the tired volunteers “ were supplied with tea, &c., but it was “ not explained that a Napier gentleman “ had to become responsible for the pay-

“ ment before the refreshment was forth- “ coining.” This is news to us, although we arc the “local paper;” and we must certainly repudiate all connection with the statement alluded to. Surely our contemporary’s “ local ” editor was wandering when he wrote that. But as regards the brigade, they have not adopted the wisest means of getting their losses recompensed. Everyone who saw the splendid style in which they battled with the fire when it threatened Mr Ward’s shop, will join us in according the Napier Fire Brigade both praise and gratitude ; and we believe that the occupants of all the shops on either side of the main street of Waipawa look upon the Napier men as having prevented the fire from spreading and destroying their buildings and property. The remarks which have recently appeared in the Herald , would lead the public to suppose that the Waipawa people were trying to back out of jtheir moral obligations the brigade ; and they are more likely to do that body harm than good. It would be far better for the superintendent to send a statement of the amount of loss which has been incurred, together with a list of other liabilities such as wages, &c., which the brigade has entered into. If this had been done at first, wc believe that a grant equal to the whole amount would have been authorised by the Town Board in place of that of £lO, which was actually made. It may bo said that the services wen*, voluntarily rendered, and it lay with the ptM.phj here to offer some remuneration : but there is no need to treat liic matter in anv wav but a business one. and we cannot but ' feel that a good deal of misunderstanding would have been pro- ! vented had the step we have referred to been taken. Instead, however, the townspeople here have been held up to riducle and accused uf being wanting in gratitude. Now, one of the real causes of delay and complaint is that the insurance companies refuse to assist in getting up a subscription to reward the Napier men handsomely for their trouble. Those coin panics might have lost thousands of pounds more than they did ; and the Napier brigade was the means of saving their pockets. Talk about gratitude in Waipawa ! What a pity the people who belong to the town in which our contemporary is published, viz., the local representatives of the insurance companies, do not set us an example ! This, we say is the chief reason why tlio subscription list which is now going about has not been more freely patronised. People complain that thousands of pounds have gone out of Waipawa for premiums on insurance policies, and yet when there js a little trouble the companies will not assist them out of it. However, one thing is certain, tlie Fire Brigade will be amply compensated for all the hose it has lost, and also for the wages it has to pay, This is no new idea. To forward a cheque to the brigade was one of the first impulses that were experienced in Waipawa when the fire was over. If the subscription list is successful, and it probably will be, well and good. If it is net, then the claim must be paid out of the town rates by the Town Beard. Ratepayers whose houses were not in danger cannot object to such a course, because their turn may come next, and they would be help less indeed if the Napier brigade made some excuse instead of coming up to the rescue. Perhaps it would save a lot of trouble and divide the burden more evenly if the Town Board were to supplement the grant which they have already made, and thus bring the matter to an end. In conclusion, wc must repeat that it would have been better for all parties if the illnatured little paragraphs had not appeared in print. Whatever donations may be forthcoming will he lessened rather than augmented by them.

Professor Lio Mcdo announces in tlic local paper that lie will shortly appear in the Waitara Town Hall. The fund for the relief of the sufferers by the late bush tires at Stratford has nearly reached the sum of £I,OOO.

The Wellington correspondent to the Telegraph wires:—“A well-informed politician says the present Parliament will not meet again, though fie considered the Government during the recess have improved their position. Knowing ones assert the general election will take place at the end of May.” The writer of two letters signed “ 11.” which recently appeared in this paper, desires us to state that he is willing to meet with anyone who will debate with him on the public platform on the subject of “spiritualism.” “ R.” is desirous that the debate, if held, should be conducted in a quiet and friendly manner. Perhaps someone will be tempted to take up the challenge. Our Manaia correspondent supplies the following notes :—The Manaia cricketers beat Opunakc on Saturday. The monument to be erected in the Quardant, Manaia, has arrived. It is of Aberdeen granite, and will commemorate the story of Major Hunter, You T cr hpsky, and other brave officers and men killed at the battle of Te Ngutu o te Manu. Bush fires have been burning inland of Oco, Otadeho, Manaia, and Okaiawa for some time. The only damage reported so far is the burning down of a wliare on the Manaia Road belonging to Ellerm, and a house belonging to Symmans, Otakeho. A good deal of grass seed, however has suffered.—News.

We understand that the plans for the enlargement of the Settlers Arms Hotel are completed, and that building is expected to be commenced very shortly. A youth was caught yesterday morning in the very act of starting a burn on Iris own account. Two of the Messrs Kitchen were riding along the Mosstown road, when they unexpectedly came upon the young scapegrace, who had already started his fire, and was busily engaged in gathering dried furze and piling it on to increase the blaze. Some little difficulty was experienced by the gentlemen who so opportunely arrived on the scene in extinguishing the fire.— Chronicle.

Our occasional correspondent writes from Hampden, complaining that the attack that was recently made on a letter from Hampden, was unfounded. Our correspondent states that the description of the fire contained in the letter was strictly an accurate one, and regrets very much that “ One of the H.F.8.” should have made it a subject of attack. We may say that although we cannot refuse to publish letters bearing upon public matters, we would much prefer it if correspondents would refrain from making remarks that may hurt the feelings of others. Insurance companies should be prompt in settliug claims. When a man lias been burned out, and has lost valuable property and goods he is not particular as to how soon he receives his insurance money. We regret to hear that some of the unfortunates in Waipawa have not yet received their claims. It is owing to this that the South British Company is such a favorite now, as all claims upon this Company were settled some time ago. A curious dispute lias occurred between the Auckland Education Board and some of the School Committees of that district. The Board granted a vacation from December 18 to February 1, and some of the committees, thinking that the time is too long, curtailed it by giving the teachers notice that they were to resume duty on an earlier date. The Grafton Committee appear to have first consulted the Board ; but the Tauranga Committee took the matter entirely into their own hands, suspended the head teacher, who intimated that he would do as the Board directed, took possession of the school keys, and placed the assistant-teacher in charge.

An instance of what an energetic woman may accomplish is furnished by the experience of Miss St. Pierre, the daughter of a Sussex farmer, who at the death of her father emigrated to Florida, with two young sisters. She liad been brought up on a farm at home, aud on arriving in Florida she purchased a small estate, which increased as time rolled ou, till she has become in a few years the largest farmer in the State, and a lady of considerable consequence. She is credited with saying that she has established a precedent in the South by engaging in undertakings hitherto monopolised, by msn, for this energetic lady “runs” a colliery, owns a paint mill, lias recently opened a marble quarry, and is now preparing for the construction of furnaces for the production of iron. Added to all this, she lias set up a school on her own estates, which is under her own personal superintendence. We extract the following from the Wellington Tout : —An instance of the law’s delays, and how a bankrupt’s estate may be eaten up in costs, is furnished by a case now pending. An execution was, about a fortnight ago, put into the premises of a storekeeper for a judgment debt. An application was then made to have the debtor adjudicated a bankrupt, aud the Official Assignee put in a bailiff, in addition to the Sheriff’s bailiff already in possession. Since that the case lias been twice before the judge in chambers, aud each time has been adjourned for a week, the two bailiffs in the meantime drawing 13s per day each from the estate. Unless some decision is quickly come to, there will be very little left for the creditors. Thus writes the Napier correspondent to the Wairoa trunrdian :—The rowdyism here on New Year's Eve was disgraceful. Hordes of apparently half-drunken young ruffians paraded the streets, yelling, hammering at doors, lifting gates off hinges and carrying them away, and generally making such a disturbance that it seemed as if all the blackguards in New Zealand had been suddenly shot into Napier, there never was such a New Y.-nr's Eve in Napier before, and it is in 1... hoped there n.-ver will be agaiu. Tinfu1 1 blackguards wer- not oifiv miriu-nms. but in manv eases very vb-kms, mid what sort of men such miscreants will grow into is not nloasanl to eonloinplab-. As an install.:- of their ruffianism, they broke into tin*. Salvation Armv hall while the inmates were engaged in celebrating Watch Night" after their fashion, and mauled and pulled tlie people about in a disgraceful fashion. So far as I can learn the people have not taken any notice of tlic outrages. Some people blame all the larrikinism on to the Salvation Army. Whatever is the cause, the effect is sufficiently startling, aud has beeu, so far .os can be judged, the growth of the last twelve months.

“ JEgles,” in the Australasian has the following :—“ There is every gravity in the Australian situation —in its financial aspect. Two colonies have closed their annual public accounts with a considerable deficiency, viz, New South Wales and South Australia. So far neither has faced the matter in a proper aud statesmanlike manner. There is, of course, the Micawber-like expedient of issuer ing Treasury bills to fiil the gap. But more than that is needed. The Government which desired to do well by the province it controlled, would boldly face the difficulty by definite economy of expenditure, and by snfficcnt additional taxation in some shape. No other course is even arguable. The chance of better seasons is not a valid asset against a known deficiency in the Treasury chest. If the credit of the colonies is to be maintained in Great Britain (for wc shall all suffer in common by political cowardice), it must be in the way suggested. When the strain is past the burden can be lightened, and purse strings can be again relaxed. But prompt, vigorous action is that which will sustain Australasia’s credit.”

A despatch in a New York paper states from Lousiville (Kentucky) that the most notable event in society this season was the wedding at njnc o’clock at night, of Mr Sydney Smith Muir and Miss Sarah Loyd Birge. “ The ceremony was performed at the residence of the bride’s sister, Mrs Sterling B. Toney, No 331, Third Avenue, in the pvcsence of a large and brilliant assemblage, and afterwards there was a magnificent supper aud reception. The bride’s trousseau came from Paris, and was the most costly ever prepared for a Southern girl. The wedding dress, which has been the admiration of society people for a week, was of white satin, sparkling with seed pearls and silver etching. The corsage is square and low, after the latest Parisian fancy, with a delicate vest all gleaming with seed pearls and dainty cords of silver exquisitely woven together. Down the left side of the skirt runs a broad panel, ornamented with a sheaf of wheat wrought in silver and seed pearls, an 1 crested with a delicate garland of orange blossoms, jessamine, and lillies of the valley. The right side of the skirt shows a wreath of the same rare flowers, and the train is long, broad and sweeping. The back aud front of the skirt arc quite plain.” Mr Pasley has resumed charge of the Hawke’s Pay sheep district rice Mr Lewis, who returns fo Auckland. It has been suggested to us that the rabbit inspector who is stationed at Wainui, might be made assistant sheep-inspector as well. Mr Geo. Crosse, the present rabbit-inspector, is perfectly capable of acting as sheep-inspector as well, and there are times when Mr Munro is called away, and has to ke< p travelling mobs waiting for his return before they can be gran tod a certificate and proceed on their journey. An instance of this occurred only last week, when Mr Jesse Herbert was detained no less than five days ou account of Mr Munro, being engaged "in inspecting another flock. Mr Crosse could have made the inspection in a few hours had lie been authorised to do so, and no one would have been inconvenienced. We would suggest that the post of rabbit-inspector and deputy sheep-inspector be held by the inspector of rabbits, and we may qualify our fju rgestion by remarking that it is tlic wish of some of the residents whose interests arc aff ;cted, in the locality, that this slight in lovation should be made. Mr Pasley is ai officer who is deeply interested in tie proper working of his district, and we have no doubt he will effect a change in the manner indicatod if it is possible to do so.

Mr Wm. Brown announces that the South British Insurance Company (for which he is local agent), is prepared to accept risks on all kinds of buildings, produce, See. MiBrown states that his company was the first to meet its liabilities in connection with the late fire, and he has, in consequence, been literally besieged by new customers, who wish to insure with him. Mr Brown sent away six new applications last evening. Preparations are already being made for re-building some of the burned-down shops in the town. We understand that Mr Robertson’s will be commenced to-day, whilst Mr Jull’s new fruit store (between the Settlers’ Arms Hotel and Mr B. B. John son’s auction mart) will be completed in a few days’ time. The plans for the new Bank of New Zealand have not been shown us, but we understand that they are in course of preparation. In about a month’s time the main street of Waipawa will have cast off its present desolate look and assumed a more shipshape appearance.

Regarding the Bryce-Rusden libel action, the London correspondent of the Auckland Star writes :—The ill-advised action which Mr Bryce is bringing against old Dresden for libel will, I fear, cost him dear. Instead of getting any satisfaction out of the man, he’ll simply advertise his history and give its sale on the secondhand book stalls a temporary filip. I have not been able to interview Mr Bryce yet, but to some queries of mine he writes : —“There is really nothing new in my action. I had hoped” it would be on by this time, but my opponent has been fertile in finding pretences for delay, and the state of uncertainty still remains. 1 nevertheless entertain hopes that tlie case may be heard before the Christmas vacation, but these hopes are becoming fainter than they were. The briefs, I believe, on both sides, are almost ready for Counsel, but I fancy that in view to the uncertainty as to the time of the trial, they have not been finally engaged. But in that as in all other tilings connected with the case, there appears to be an uncomfortable degree of uncertainty.” Clearly Mr Bryce was not in love with our English law processes. Depend upon it lie’ll be still less presently.