£l04 ANNUITY

Evening Star, Issue 20134, 26 March 1929, Page 5

£lo4 ANNUITY

FROM £300,000 ESTATE SON ASKS FOR ENLARGEMENT [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, March 25. The estate of Alexander Bell, runholder, of Auckland, which at the most recent computation has been valued at £344,000, was the subject of a legal claim by one of the sons. William Bell, in the Supremo Court to-day. The claimant had been left an annuity of £lO4 a year, and he claimed that this ought to bo increased. Mr Nortbcroft, for the claimant, said the net residue of the estate was estimated to exceed £150,000. The fund was required to be invested and the income accumulated for ten years, and it might well bo that at the end of that time it would amount to £300,000. There wore thirteen grandchildren. The result of the will was that while his cluint was provided with an annuity of £lOl a year, his children and nephews and nieces were having saved and accumulated for them a fund which would provide for them in ten years’ time a sum of at least £20,000 each. His client was completely broken in health and unable to supplement Ins allowance by his own earnings. Ho had practically spent his life in the service of his father, and had provided cheap labour for him during the period ho had accumulated this very large sum of money. In cross-examination the plaintiff admitted that bu occasions his father had had to reprimand him for drinking. There were occasions on which a doctor had had to bo called in on account of his drinking. llis i father had twice placed him on farms at Katikuti and at Papakura. Ho claimed to have improved these properties by his labour. In a. codicil to the will his annual allowance had been reduced by Ids father from £2OO to £lO4. He would resent a proposal to take out a prohibition order 'as an insult.

On behalf of David Bell, a brother of the claimant, Mr Elliott said he was instructed to say that David 801 l considered that his brother had bean most unjustly treated. Mr Northern ft suggested that the trouble was that +l <f , father had objected to the marriage of his son William on religious grounds. Mr Justice Blair reserved bis decision.