An interesting ruling was given by the United States Court for China on Saturday when His Honour Judge C. S. Lobingier, found that oral wills are invalid except only in the case of those made by soldiers on Service and sailors ut sea. The case in question was one with regard to the disposal of the personal property of the late Mr. Frederick Paterson George, who died on October 25, 1919 at Siangyang- Some hours prior to his death, while in hospital at Siangyang. and in the presence of several witnesses, Mr. George stated that it was his wish that all his personal property, cluding a library and other effects, should' pass to the Mission at Siangyang. in the province of Hupeh. The Court, however, yesterday, found that the property must. go to the estate of the deceased, the oral testament not being doomed effective.
Tu his finding Judge Lobingier said inter alia: "Unwritten, or nuncupative wills. like most features of our testamentary' law, are of Roman origin, and were restricted to soldiers in service—on instance of Rome's partiality for the military arm. Modern statutes have added another class—"mariners at sea"—and such the law of this jurisdiction, But the privilege is confined to these scribed or written by the testator.
"The deceased Was a missionary and did not belong to cither of the two classes above mentioned. Whatever he might have said orally, therefore, as to the disposition of his property was whole; ineffective in law, The case affords hut another instance of the unfortunate consequences of postpone ing the preparation of a will until it is too late to make one.
"Tt the application for probate be denied and the proceeding wontinue as one for administration period Tue Kuomingtang party is agitating for the re-appointment of Dr. Sun Yatsen as Director of Chinese railways. They appear to have faith in his scheme for building 200,000 miles of railways during the next 10 years, with foreign financial assistance.
Aw advertiser in a northern contemporary offers to wager $100 with the editor of the "Peking Daily News" that he is unable to prove his assertion that the Kokusai news agency suppresses news which is unfavourable to Japan. Unfortunately, the International Press Club of Peking will be deprived of an interesting evening's entertainment as judges in the contest, the Editor having replied that he' has no desire to touch Japanese money—not even with a long pole,—thus revealing readiness to defend the boycott even at the point of the—bamboo.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.