Die  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
157 
Legal  Questions 
Wife’s  Separate  Estate 
Six  years  ago  myself  aud  wife  bought 
a  farm,  and  she  paid  for  it  with  her 
money.  It  was  in  a  run-down  condition, 
and  I  worked  hard  for  three  years  to  put 
it  in  good  condition.  At  the  end  of  three 
years,  against  my  consent,  she  changed 
it  for  another  farm,  and  gave  a  mortgage 
on  the  farm  she  got.  I  knew  nothing  of 
the  mortgage,  as  her  father  had  the  claim. 
It  was  her  father  whom  she  changed 
farms  with,  and  he  did  not  have  it  re¬ 
corded.  I  have  paid  the  taxes  every  year, 
and  made  all  repairs  that  have  been  made. 
The  property  is  assessed  to  me,  and  has 
been  for  six  years,  and  now  I  have  some 
logs  cut  for  lumber  and  drawn  out  of 
the  woods.  Can  a  wife  dispose  of  prop¬ 
erty  in  that  way,  and  can  she  dispossess 
the  husband  and  save  him  nothing?  Can 
they  stop  me  from  drawing  the  logs  to  the 
mill?  Ai.v  wife  is  still  living  with  me, 
but  her  father  is  trying  to  persuade  her 
to  leave  me  and  come  and  live  with  him, 
dispossess  me  of  the  farm.  Deed  is  in 
her  name.  I  pay  all  my  wife’s  bills. 
New  York.  I.  H. 
Under  the  New  York  State  statutes  the 
wife  has  the  right  to  sell  and  dispose  ot 
her  separate  state  the  same  as  if  she 
were  unmarried.  In  the  absence  of  an 
agreement  therefor,  the  husband  cannot 
recover  for  improvements  made  to  his 
wife’s  property.  The  husband  has  the 
right  to  occupy  the  property  of  the  wif< 
so  long  as  they  are  living  together,  but 
if  you  separate,  she  is  able  to  dispossess 
you  if  she  cares  to.  If  her  father  is  the 
cause  of  your  trouble  and  she  does  actu¬ 
ally  leave  you  at  his  solicitation,  you 
might  have  an  action  for  damages  against 
him.  N.  t. 
Wife’s  Claim  to  Support 
A  neigl  bor  tha  has  trouble  with  his 
family  has  turned  his  wife  out.  He  lives 
with  his  father,  mother  and  sister.  The 
wife  came  to  my  house  for  shelter,  and  1 
gave  h  r  shelter  and  board,  then  applied 
to  the  overseer  of  poor,  and  he  refused 
to  aid  her.  He  told  her  she  had  to  live 
with  her  husband  in  with  1”'s  peonle  in 
the  same  family  to  get  support.  Can  she 
compel  him  to  support  her,  and  if  so,  what 
course  can  she  take?  b.  r. 
New  York. 
If  it  is  impossible  for  the  wife  to  make 
a  satisfactory  settlement  with  her  hus¬ 
band  she  can  commence  an  action  for 
separation,  and  if  successful  the  court 
would  allow  her  a  specified  amount  per 
week  or  month  for  her  support.  No  doubt 
both  are  somewhat  to  blame,  and  perhaps 
you  could,  by  your  influence,  bring  about 
a  happy  settlement.  N.  x. 
Security  for  Unpaid  Wages 
The  firm  for  which  I  work  owes  me 
about  $1,000.  March  1  last  I  wanted  a 
settlement  for  my  labor,  which  amounted 
to  about  $500  at  that  time,  and  they  sug¬ 
gested  giving  me  a  note  and  paying  me 
interest.  I  let  it  go  and  never  took  the 
note,  as  I  was  afraid  maybe  something 
might  happen,  so  that  the  firm  would 
fail,  and  leave  me  in  the  hole  if  I  loaned 
them  the  money,  and  I  knew  if  I  just 
never  drew  it  I  could  collect  it,  as  labor 
money  comes  first  in  such  a  case.  They 
have  paid  me  some  from  time  to  time,  but 
could  not  pay  me  all  each  month.  What 
kind  of  a  settlement  could  I  make  outside 
of  a  cash  settlement,  which  I  should  have, 
so  I  could  draw  interest  and  still  my 
money  would  be  safe  at  any  time?  I  ex¬ 
pect  to  work  here  next  year  if  I  can  get 
the  right  proposition.  g.  o.  t. 
Iowa. 
Our  advice  to  you  would  be  to  get  a 
note  signed  by  the  firm,  and  also  by  some 
responsible  property  owner.  There  must 
be  someone  who  would  endorse  a  note 
with  the  firm.  If  you  cannot  get  a  note 
with  a  good  endorser,  they  ought  to  be 
willing  to  give  you  a  chattel  mortgage  on 
their  fixtures  or  some  other  property. 
N.  T.  • 
Duration  of  Gas  Lease 
How  long  does  a  gas  lease  last  in  Penn¬ 
sylvania?  I  have  one  drawn  up  for  15 
years,  or  as  much  longer  as  gas  is  found 
in  paying  quantities.  Can  I  break  lease 
at  end  of  15  years  or  before?  Some  say 
they  cannot  hold  lease  longer  than  10 
years.  Is  there  a  law  to  that  effect? 
New  York.  E.  P. 
A  lease  of  gas  lands  is  a  contract  or 
agreement,  the  same  as  any  other  lease, 
and  means  what  it  says.  The  same  rules 
governing  leases  generally  control  with 
reference  to  the  extension  or  renewal  of 
mining  leases.  If  there  is  a  fixed  time  in 
the  lease  as  to  when  he  is  to  exercise  his 
right  of  renewal,  the  lessee  must  give  no¬ 
tice  of  his  renewal  within  the  time  pro¬ 
vided,  as  in  the  case  of  other  leases.  Most 
leases  also  contain  provisions  under  which 
a  forfeiture  may  occur,  or  the  lessor  may 
re-enter,  such  as  a  breach  of  conditions, 
terms  or  covenant  of  the  lease  relative 
to  the  working  of  the  mine,  as  a  failure 
to  do  work  or  to  complete  certain  devel¬ 
opments  within  a  time  limited,  but  the 
rule  that  a  proviso  for  a  foreiture  or  re- 
enuring  »r  breach  of  covenant  must  be 
inserted  in  the  lease  is  also  applied. 
N.  T. 
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l  .u-uoi 
