365
THE ESTATES GAZETTE
Maech 4, 1899.
THE SURVEYORS’ AND AUCTIONEERS' CLERKS' PROVIDENT ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The 15th annual general meeting of this association was hell at the Auction Mart׳, Token-house-yard, E. C., on Wednesday evening. Mr. J. H. Sabin (Messrs. Smiths, Gore and Co.), chairman of the Committee of Management, presided, and there were also present: Messrs. Wm. Cudlipp (Daniel Watnev and Sons), hon. secretary, B. E. Bartlett (Mr. Bichard Boberts), H. W. Bilby (Tooth and Tooth), W. Fagg (Clutton), B. Hatcher. C. H. Mathews (Mr. J. W. Penfold), •T. Payne (Mr. Bichard Boberts), A. D. Sturley (May and Bowden), E. P. Win-zar (Smiths, Gore and Co.), Crosby (Glutton), Morris (Trollope). F. •T. Line (Daniel Smith, Son and Oakley), Tyrrell (Tooth and Tooth) O. Smoothly (T. H. Currie), and the secretary, Mr. Luke Edmenson.
The annual report was as follows : —
The Committee of Management have the pleasure to again submit an annual financial statement of a satisfactory character. The figures on the receipts side of the accounts show an important increase, the advance in subscriptions and dividends in the year amounted to £53 12s. 6d. The invested funds have been increased by £343 8s. 5d. The committee have made grants from the Benevolent Fund of £10 7s. 8d. ; and the sick claims have amounted to £30 8s. The management expenses have, however, been reduced, and the total outlay leaves a considerable margin to the benefit of the general reserve. Twenty-one proposals were considered in 1898, and completed.
At a special general meeting held on March
2	last, an alteration in the rules was passed by which the subscription to the Benevolent Fund was reduced from 10s. 6d. to “not less than 2s. 6d.” Under this ruleit will be seen that the Benevolent membership has slightly increased, but the committee have confidence that as the alteration becomes better known the advantage of membership under such conditions will be recognised. A further amount of £320 12s. 6d. has been invested in the purchase of £300 India
3	per cent. Stock. The cost price of the total investments has been £4,379 18s. 9d., but the present market value is £300 in excess of this sum. This increase is not taken into account m valuing the present assets. The Association lost a kind and hearty supporter by the lamented death of Mr. Christopher Oakley. His eldest son, Mr. ,John Hubert Oakley, kindly consented to accept the vacant trusteeship, and has been duly appointed to the office.
Mr. Sabin, in moving the adoption of the re-boU. remarked that the Association needed no recommendation ,to those who knew anything about it. The accounts spoke for themselves— they showed prosperity. The receipts had been better, whilst the payments had been less. The increase in the receipts was most satisfactory, and for the first time in the history of the Association the expenditure was more than met. There was also a verv gratifying improvement in. membership ; almost every figure showed an increase. It was true that ”the Benevolent Fund had only gathered in 11 members instead of six, but that was something to the good, and seeing that the number of subscribers to the Sick Allowance Fund had increased by seven, and the Sick Allowance Joint Funds by four, their position was altogether satisfactory. What they should do when their interest decreased he was not prepared to say, hut it was a well-known fact that they were anxiously looking out for a better investment than Consols. They were desirous of getting some really good ground rents at as much under 28 years’ purchase as possible (laughter).
Mr. Crosby seconded the adoption of the report. He agreed with the remarks of the chairman as to the advisability of securing a more profitable investment than Consols.
The report was then unanimously approved.
The following officers were re-elected :—Mr. Edward Tewson (Debenham, Tewson, Farmer and Bridgewater), treasurer : Messrs. H. Dan-nan (Osborn and Mercer) and E. Everest (Walton and Lee), auditors ; and Mr. W. Cudlipp, hon. secretary.
It was decided to re-elect the members of the Committee of Management, with two exceptions, Mr. E. •T. Line being substituted for Mr. W. Bichards, and another vacancy caused by the retirement of Mr. E. P. Winzar being left in the hands of the committee. The following are the names, together with the attendances during the last year : —Messrs. B. E. Bartlett,
4	; H. W. Bilby, 10 ; W. Cudlipp, 10 ; W. Eagg, 10 ; B. Hatcher, 7 : C. H. Matthews, 7 ; J. Payne, 9 ; C. Pottle, 2 : W. Bichards, nil ; J. H. Sabin, 10 : E. E. Shepherd, 6 ; A. D. Sturley, 11 ; E. E. Winzar, 9.
Hearty votes of thanks were accorded the subscribers and donors ; the directors of the Auction Mart Comnany for the use of the room ; tho auditors, Messrs. H. Dannan and P. Everest ; the stewards of the recent smoking concert ; the chairman, Mr. .T. H. Sabin ; and the Press.
Bishop of Bochester who dwelt in the mansion of La Place, afterwards Carlisle House, Lambeth, Dr. John Fisher, was nearly poisoned by Bichard Boose, his cook, who infused a deadly poison into some soup he was making, which, as a matter of fact, caused the deaths of 17 members of the household and of two poor people who had gone to the house for charity. An appropriate punishment was devised for this murderous cook, for he was attainted of ligh treason, and boiled to death at Smithfield. ' An “ appropriate punishment,” truly.
Truly the old order changeth. The following advertisement recently appeared in a leading London daily paper : —
...
is able to influence the SALE of EGYPTIAN CIGARETTES in those quarters, and prepared to furnish first-class references, might advantageously communicate with the importers of the leading brand by letter addressed, etc.
We all know that it is difficult to define a “ gentleman,” to say what he is ; but it is easy to say what he is not. He is not a man who could act either “ in the highest circles of society” or otherwise as a tout for a trading firm. Still, it is very likely that the “ importers of the leading brand ” will find somebody to answer their purposes, and that their advertisement will end in smoke—not metaphorically but literally.
Captain the Hon. A. G. A. Hore-Buthven, the last recipient of the Victoria Cross, which h e obtained for an act of gallantry last autumn during a Dervish attack on a baggage guard at Gedarif, is said to be the first militiaman who ever gained that coveted decoration. He is, however, by no means the first man of courage in his ancient family. The Buthvens, indeed, have often been more conspicuous for desperate daring than for scrupulousness. The third Lord Buthven was the chief actor in the murder of the unfortunate Bizzio. The fourth took the most prominent part, in the seizure of James VI., known in history as the “Baid of Buthven,” and was executed for treason in 1584, “ Hisfamily,” says “ Burke,” “having been restored to their estates and honours, the third Earl of Gowrie and his brother were engagid in the mysterious 1 Gowrie Conspiracy ’ of 1600, in which both were killed, and for which the family were again attainted.” The Buthvens, it is clear, were never “jibbers.” Their motto is, “Deeds show.”
The apathy of our citizens of credit and renown in respect of matters which intimately concern them and their comfort is sometimes very surprising. The proposed widening of Lower Thames-street, between Fish-street-hill and Botolph-lane, is still delayed in spite of the fact that if ever there was a place in the City which needed widening it is the locality ir! question. The London County Council was asked six months ago to say whether it would contribute towards the cost of the improvement, but as yet (the “ City Press ” observes) Spring-gardens has made no sign. The present opportunity, our contemporary adds, is a good one, several houses being to let, While in respect to some others the leases are about to run out.
The untimely death of Lord Herschell removes one of the most eminent commercial lawyers of modern times. He was a hrilliant member of that body of London University “LL.B.’s” which in recent years has produced so many men who have risen high in the legal profession. Solid, weighty, persuasive, he possessed a power of intellectual appeal in which few of his contemporaries could even approach lim. Unlike a number of barristers, he did not prove a “failure in the House,” and in particular in all debates dealing with legal questions, he spoke with an acumen which commanded the respect of everyone. He took a deen interest in the matter of letters sent by bookmakers to schoolboys, with a view to inducing them to gamble, and ,ie would have been a valuable supporter of the proposed legislation concerning illegal commissions. Who will now be the Liberal nominee for the Lord Chancellorship, it is difficult to say. T.ird Bussell of Killowen is a Boman Catholic, and one can hardly realise Sir B. T. Beid, Mr. Asquith, or Mr. Haldane in such ■an exalted post. But perhaps the Liberal leaders, whoever they are, would look on the Bench for a successor to Lord Herschell—when the time came.
STYLO.
TO READERS.
The Manager will esteem it a favour if readers of the “ESTATES GAZETTE ” will kindly mention the name of the paper when communicating with any firm in regard to properties advertised or referred to therein
to be set off against its benefits. The traffic question, in fact, like every other, has more than one side, and the balance of advantage— the greatest good of the greatest number—is the point to be kept in view.
Bailway and carriers’ vans no doubt come into the City on business, but so do other vehicles. The riders of bicycles, for instance, would say that they are only going to their offices, and so forth, in an economical and expeditious manner. But other considerations are involved, and it is interesting to note that even the journals specially catering for wheelmen and wheelwomen are adopting a reasonable attitude as far as the City is concerned. One thing appears clear enough—that if, as is suggested, the restrictions as to cycling in the City apply only between the hours of 10 and 5, few Of those to whom the use of the cycle is a consideration in the saving of money would be seriously affected. Clerks living, perhaps, eight or ten miles out in the suburbs, find the cost of travelling by rail far in excess of monthly payments for a machine purchased upon the instalment system. They may not view the new ruling with satisfaction ; but, after all, oy starting at an earlier hour they could reach their destinations before their progress would be barred. That is a solution of the difficulty, and there is no hardship in it either.
Influenza, it appears, has again got׳ a grip, or grippe, on London, the south and southwestern suburbs being principally affected. Last week, the “ Daily Chronicle ” stated that there were as many as 113 deaths due to it directly, as against 22, 50 and 74 in the three previous weeks. And, of course, the number of deaths is no criterion of the number of those suffering from this most depressing disease. Where the complaint does not kill it commonly leaves a heritage of woe, our contemporary adds, and suggests that people do not get serious attacks of influenza who keep their blood well alkalinised with potash. I have had influenza. It attacked my brain as my weakest part. Potash is cheap enough as a preventive, but I cannot say that I believe much in any “patent” remedy for la grippe. I remember that it was only a few days after the late Sir Morell Mackenzie had written an article in a monthly magazine dealing with the whole subject of influenza, and the way it should be treated, in the most learned and masterly manner, that he himself succumbed to the mysterious ailment.
I really do not know why the “ Daily Chronicle ” calls the eating of larks a “ disgusting practice.” Surely lark pudding is, or used to be, a common dish enough, and I do not see that it is any more disgusting than game pie. It the “ Chronicle ” means that to kill a lark is cruel, the answer is that it is neither more nor less cruel than to kill a sheep, or the poor beetle that we tread upon (if Shakespeare’s authority is to go for anything). A lark, to be sure, is a songster, but so is a poet, and he has to die like anyone else when his time comes. Diverging to the subject of osprey feathers, the “ Chronicle ” states that “ two years or so ago, we published all the shocking facts about the gathering of osprey feathers, on the authority Of Professor Newton, and sent a copy of the same to the Princess of Wales. Y.re certainly entertained the strong hope, in consequence of the reply we received, that the wearing of osprey feathers at Court would Ie discouraged. This hope has not been realised.” Is our contemporary really simple-minded enough to think that even if the remonstrance in question ever came to the personal knowledge of H.B.H., she would act on it without counsel and consideration ?
That the discussion of Tuesday night in the House of Commons upon the number of foreigners serving in our mercantile marine did not■ attract more attention is rather strange. First, the increasing number of foreigners might well prove a serious national peril in time of war, and secondly, it seems hard :hat aliens should be taking the place of the unemployed British tar. Mr. Havelock Wilson told the House that in one port 1,700 British sailors and firemen are now unemployed, and a similar condition of affairs exists in other ports, though doubtless not to the same extent. Many of the foreigners, no doubt, know their duty, but that is not the point. The reason, it is averred, why they are deliberately preferred by many shipowners and masters is that they will put up with treatment which an English sailor would resent. They are cheaper—I will not say nastier—than the home-made article. This question can scarcely be settled by our legislators merely saying that Jack has their sympathy.
Murders or attempted murders by cooks of their masters are seemingly of somewhat ancient date in this country. In punishing such treacherous offences our ancestors occasionally followed the Gilbertian precept of fitting the penalty to the crime. At least, in an old history of Lambeth I recently read, that the “ last
Mr. Water®: I consider he would be justified in expecting £60 a year.
Beplying to Mr. Nodder, Mr. Waters said he did not consider the question of the trade done at the house, buit merely the competition in the market and the annual value.
The Chairman said the Bench had decided to put the assessment at £40 gross, believing that in so doing they were doing that which was fair and right. The usual deductions would he taken into consideration by the Assessment Committee.
Mr. Nodder asked the Bench to put the amount at £39, on the ground that £40 would affect the amount to be paid for the license.
The Clerk : No, no ; we cannot take that matter into consideration.
LONDON, CHATHAM AND DOYEB BAILWAY APPEALS.
On February 24th, in the Queen’s Bench Division, before Mr. Justice Bruoe and Mr. Justice Kennedy, the case of the “London, Chatham and Dover Bailway Company, appellants v. the Assessment Committee of the Mailing Union, respondents,” came on for argument.
Mr. E. Boyle, Q.C., and Mr. Archibald Willis appeared for the appellants, and moved for a rule nisi for a mandamus to the Kent Quarter Sessions to enter continuances and hear appeals in 11 parishes against poor rates in respect of th!e railway line of the appellant company. The Quarter Sessions had dismissed the appeals on the ground that the statutory 14 days’ notice had not been served on the parish councils of the different parishes. Due notice had been given to the overseers of the parishes and to the assessment committee. The notices to the parish councils had been, in fact, served but they arrived one day too late. Mr. Boyle submitted that the Quarter Sessions ought to have entered and respited the appeals. The statute 17 Geo. II., c. 38, section 4, showed that it was the duty of the Quarter Sessions, if it should appear that “reasonable notice” had not been given to enter and respite tho appeal. The provision of 17 Geo. n., c 38, was still in force, though 14 days were now fixed as the proper amount of notice under 12 and 13 V.ict., c. 45, section! 1.
Mr. Justice Kennedy: If the “ reasonable notice ” has been altered into a statutory notice by a later Act and that notice is absolute, how can the discretion of the Quarter Sessions be exercised under the old Act 1 The “ reasonable notice” is gone.
Mr. Boyle further contended that no notice was required to the parish councils in addition to notice to the overseers, and referred to section 6 of the Local Government Act, 1894, 56 and 57, Viet., c. 73. There had been no case on that subject, and the practice was not the same everywhere. Another reason against the dismissal of all the appeals was that in four of the parishes there were no parish councils at all. Further, the point of the informality of the notice of appeal had not׳ been taken by a parish council, but by counsel instructed by the assessment committee. That was not sufficient.
The Court granted the rule.
H agings aitb Dnhtgs.
There has been a boom Of “claimants” recently. The manners and customs of some of these gentry are notoriously peculiar, but I do r ot think that I ever saw or heard of anything stranger than a letter recently addressed by an illiterate old lady to a well-known barrister, which he has kindly allowed me to reproduce, suppressing or altering, of course, anything which might lead to identification. “ Sir,” the letters runs, “ allow me to enquire of you if
your hook Law of ------- would lead to any
information as to ——• estate, near---. Miss
A of ----- house Married John B., a relative
of My Grandmother. There was no famly,
another brother died at --- who was said to
have left £30,000 in the---Bank------. Yours
truly, Mrs. C.” Here follows the address, and there is a postscript, “We have the Geological tree and a Number of Papers the case has been laid aside for a long time but we are the right heirs at Law—it came by one B.” I doubt whether the most speculative of speculative lawyers would undertake Mrs. C.’s case on this statement.
In commenting upon the proposal that has been made that railway and carriers’ vans should be excluded from the main thoroughfares of London between certain hours with a view to relieving the congested state of the streets, the “ City Press ” remarks that this would “ hamper trade and inflict a grave injustice on our houses of business. If such a suggestion were acted upon, in a very short while the traffic problem would soon cease to trouble us, and grass would grow in Cheapside.” I do not see that the proposal would have any such serious effect, though it would, no doubt, cause a certain amount of inconvenience which would have