DESTITUTE SON

Evening Star, Issue 22146, 28 September 1935, Page 12

DESTITUTE SON

CLOCK DONOR SUED FDR maintenance [Per United Puess Association.] ; CHRISTCHURCH, September 27. Robert E. Green, the donor ot. clock towers to Sumner and New Brighton, appeared as defendant in a; maintenance suit in the Magistrate s Court this morning, when he was sued by his son 1 , Frederick Ernest Green, of Sydney, carpenter, who was described as a destitute person. Counsel for the' sou alleged that Green, sen., had spent large sums of money to vent his spite on his family and to stop them from getting his money. Green, sen., was 83 or 84 ysgis of age. Ho made an offer to the Christchurch City Council to give the city a statue at a cost of between £I,OOO and £2,000, but the council refused the offer, declaring that the defendant should make proper, provision for his family. Immediately after this anonymous offers were made of gift clock towers to Brighton and Sumner, and subsequent events proyed that Green, sen., had made the offers. He received an annuity of £7 a wqek. Cecil Green, a son, said his brother, Frederick, had been unemployed since 1930. Frederick could hardly see, had no prospects of wqrk, and was_ absolutely destitute. Frederick and his wife liad had to subsist on Government ration work at approximately 17s lid a fortnight. In addition, he had been for the most of this period under medical attention, and on November 13 last year was admitted to hospital, and was not expected to live. He was there three months ami was still suffering much pain. He was completely wrecked in health. Charles John Beken said he had known Green for 50 years and knew that he had had a quarrel with his family. Green hud said that he would buy an annuity and get rid of the rest of his money. It was no use making a will for his family to upset. Mr Russell denied that the defendant had stripped himself of all his assets to deprive his family of any benefits they might obtain, It was obvious that the witness, Cecil Green, had not been in contact with his father for years, and the credibility of his evidence could he doubted. The defendant was an old colonist who thought it fit and'proper to present l .to

the city a statue of tho first .Superintendent of the province. The defendant’s position was much different now from what it had been nt the time of the previous court case. Ho had Sfannuity of £l3O 6s 8d from which he paid maintenance at £i a week by an order of the court to one relative. He had another annuity when he was before the court, before, but had since then sold it for £4OO, and ho proposed to take out _an annuity for tho protection of his wile. This* would return £7B a year, and their total income would bo only £ioo 6s Bd, out of which they had to pay £7B for a housemaid. Mrs Green was not in strong health and money was needed for medicines, etc, Kate Alicia Robena. Stevens, a niairied woman, wife of a relief woikei, admitted that she had advanced £4OO to the defendant to buy an annuity for his,wife. She understood that he had no other assets with which to buy the annuity. She had found £2OO and her daughter £2OO of the money. She had taken it from,savings. , “I am satisfied that Frederick Fvnest Green is a destitute poison, said tho magistrate, in summing up, “ and the only other question is tho ability of, the defendant to contribute toward the maintenance of his son. 1 am not at all satisfied with the defendant’s attitude about the £4OO, and I have very grave doubts of his bona fides about providing an annuity for his wife.” The Magistrate adjourned the case until October 14 to see what the defendant did with the £4OO.