The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1901-05-30
BRITISH BANKR IT'S.
PRIVILEGES WHICH ARE ACCORDED
BY LAW TO PEERSsD

BY LAW TO PEERSs
some English Legal Decisions m to
Life - They Widely DffRers From
Duke to Ordinary Mortal.
Recent bankruptcy cases In London
have brought up various legal decisions
which have been reached in England
on the subject of what are necessaries
Of life for men Of various stations and
degrees who are not in command Of
their own incomes.
A duke, for instance, or eveI1ea mar
quis or an earl is entitled by law to
one bottle of champagne day If his
trustees held the money to pay for it.
In the case of the former Duke Of Man
chester the law decided that seven bot
ties Of champagne week arH neces-
sary to duke whose affairs may be in
the hands of trustees and that If he
had not the control of his own income
he must be allowed to have carriage
with one horse, riding horse as well.
one manservant and house with a
rent of not less than f250 a year; 9th
erwise he must be allowed to have the
use of $4,000 a year. while the rest
might be allowed to accumulate for the
good of the estate till the trustee Pc
riod expired. ~
A viscount or baron ia allowed by
law to describe as necessaries things
which smaller fry might struggle along
without. But viscount's income
provided there is anybody to pay it's
fixed at f1,5OO year and a baron's at
E1.OOO. He is. supposing anyA guard
ians have few thousands a year to
pay out to him according to discretion
only entitled to claret as beverage
for his yearly wine allowance only runs
to EGO, which would not keep him in
champagne unless he drank it very sell
dom. The dukes wine bill may run
to ESQ.
The viscount must have a carriage,
but it may be attached for debt. and
he cannot force his guardians to give
him a horse. OF course. if he has no
guardians. nor any income. either. he
must do as other people and go with
out, but these things are considered
necessary to peers. A manservant is
allowed to a viscount or baron. but
the house rent need not exceed E2OO
nor can it be less than ESQ.
A doctor is better off than a viscount
in one way-his carriage cannot be
seized in most cases. nor can the OK
penses of it be reckoned in his income
tax returns. In selling up a doctor for
debt he may retain one horse. and two
of his carpets are considered as neceS
saries to his business-in the hall and
consulting roOm-and reckOned at Ego
apiece. He may have surgical instru
ments and medical appliances to the
value of $1,000. and these cannot be
seized.
An ordinary man can retain nothing
but his clothes. his hairbrushes and n
few stern necessaries of that kind. No
wine is allowed to doctor. but if a
student in the hands Of trustees. he can
demand couple Of servants and a
house rent of EGO per year.
The son of we'll to do merchant or
tradesman making about E1.OOO year
can demand neither wine nor horses
nor servants, but the law may allow
him a rent of ESQ and another ESQ or
f2OO to keep himself on. supposing he
is in the hands Of guardians. whether
under or over age. AS to debt. be can
be sold up. bar his personal necessaries
and his clothes, though he is not gen
orally allowed to keep more than six
suits Of the latter
If he has more a judge might allow
them to be taken with the other chat
tells, and he can be left without chair
to sit on or a spoon to eat with. Jewel
ry, If be has any, can be taken; but If
he has, say, two pairs of valuable
sleeve links he can keep only one of
them. In the same way he may keep
dress suit, but IL he has two an order
may be made to sell up one Of them.
A lawyer can have 500 books on legal
subjects or in some way pertaining to
law, and these have to be left alone by
the brokers. There are extreme cases
in which everything, even necessaries,
may be taken, but the lawyer may also
demand exemption even in such cases
for his wigs, or at least two Of them,
and two gowns. AS a student in the
hands of guardians he can make them
pay him ESQ year for chambers, and
they must pay his examination and
other fees. ."
A clergyman or minister of any kind
is worst off Of all and can keep very
little for himself. He can make his
guardians come down with the fees his
profession needs, however, and II he
lives in the country as a curate and
has some trustees and also guardian
he can make them supply him with a
gardener