AGED FATHER RE-WEDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1922, Page 3

AGED FATHER RE-WEDS.

ESTATE LEFT TO WIDOW. CHILDREN FORGOTTEN". A case of considerable interest under the Families Protection Act came before -the Supreme Court at Wanganui last week, and in consequence it xvas found that the law is very faulty on the matter and requires amending. Plaintiffs Averfe three members o-f a family who had worked extremely hard for their parents. The mother died, and though the father had just about reached the age of thre score years and ten he met another aged-but-young-looking widow six months after the first wife’s death. After a very brief courtship they married. A couple of years passed and he died, and, to the amazement of the family, who expected to obtain a certain share of the estate, they fpund when the Avill was read that the property, including a house, was left entirely to the wife, the yearly income from investments being £ll5. The it was submitted, had worked hard in their younger days to help their father, who, before his death evidently/ forgot all about them in his will, and they now asked for a sum to be set aside in their favor. As an alternative, Mr. Treadwell, counsel for plaintiffs, suggested that they would be satisfied if the defendant were to have the £ll5 per annum Avhile she lived, . and that on her death the property j should go to plaintiffs. i His Honor remarked that this might : be a very equitable thing to do, but he : did not 'see any authority in law to i meet the case. In fact, he did not j know of a similar case where this had j been done. Morally the father should I have made some provision for his chilj dren, seeing the amount of work they had done for him, and it did not say very much for him that he did not do so. " However, the Act only provided for maintenance, which did not meet the present case. Tip considered the law should be altered to give the Courts power to meet case of this kin<l. Referring to the application. the Judge said the father had acted very harshly by his children, judging by what was before him.