INTESTATES WIDOWS AND CHILDREN BILL. (Hansard, 6 March 1873)

§ LORD CHELMSFORD,
in moving that the Bill be now read the second time, said, its object was to relieve the families of poor persons of a charge which bore hard upon them at the time when they could least bear it. It frequently occurred that poor persons died intestate possessed of shares in cooperative societies, or having small debts due to them, or other small property from which their widows or children could derive no benefit without taking out letters of administration; and it was the purpose of the Bill to relieve them from this expense. It was provided, therefore, that the widow or child or other relative of an intestate, on making an affidavit before the registrar of the county court of the district that the whole estate did not exceed £100, might receive from the registrar a certificate, sealed with the seal of the Court, which should entitle such person to get in the estate.

THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDE
asked the noble and learned Lord whether he would be willing to extend the operation of the Act to Ireland?

§ LORD CHELMSFORD
said, he would be very glad to have the Bill extended so as to apply to the whole of the United Kingdom; but at present he had no intention to make the attempt to extend it to Ireland.