cates the consumption of one hundred feet, and an entire revolution indicates the consumption of one thousand feet.

Simultaneously, the hand of the centre dial will have moved at onetenth the rate in a contrary direction. Every figure it arrives at indicates one revolution of the first dial, or the consumption of one thousand feet, and an entire revolution indicates ten thousand feet.

The hand of the dial to the left of the spectator will simultaneously have moved in the same direction as the hand of a clock at one-tenth the rate of the central hand. Every figure it arrives at indicates one revolution of the centre

dial, or the consumption of ten thousand feet, and an entire revolution indicates one hundred thousand feet.

The readings are taken from the figures that the hands last passed; thus,

The preceding illustration shows a reading from the dial to the left of the spectator, of 5; from the centre dial, 2; and from the dial to the right, 8; that is, 50,000, 2000, and 800, or, in all, 52,800.

Wherever there are four or more dials, the fourth invariably moves the contrary way and indicates ten times as much as the third; the fifth moves the

contrary way of the fourth and indicates ten times the consumption, and so on with any number of dials.

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2527. Injuries to Fittings, etc. -Every person who wilfully removes, destroys, or damages any pipe, pillar, post, plug, lamp, or other work of a gas company, or wilfully extinguishes any public lamp or light, is liable to a penalty of £5; and if any person accidentally injures any fittings of a gas company, it is expressly provided that he shall be liable for damages not exceeding £5, recoverable by proceedings before magistrates.

2528. Frauds upon Gas Companies.-Every person who lays, or causes to be laid, any pipe to communicate with any pipe belonging to a gas company without consent of the company; or does any act to defraud a gas company; or supplies any other person with any part of the gas supplied to him by the company; in either

case,

2529. The Penalty is £5 for every offence, and £2 per day for every day of the continuance of the offence; and the company is entitled peremptorily to cut off the supply until satisfactory amends have been made, notwithstanding any special contract.

2530. Prices of Gas.-Throughout the country the prices of gas vary extremely; but the price in any district is generally limited by the special Act which constitutes the company.

2531. Recovery of Gas Charges.

2526. Repairs of Meters. Wherever a meter is on hire, the owners are under an obligation to keep the same in repair and good going order; but where the consumer takes gas throughout his own meter, he must himself keep it in good repair and going order; and all rights of entry, as previously described, are reserved under this head to the gas companies.

conferred for the recovery of gas charges. In almost every instance, the special Act expressly confers upon the company the usual powers of

recovery.

2532a. Cutting Off Supplies.Every gas company is entitled, when an account is not paid on demand, to cut off the supply, by disconnecting or severing the supply-pipe; and, according to the strict letter of the law, there is no obligation to give notice of an intention to cut off the supply; but the twenty-second section of the Gasworks Clauses Act, 1871, though it does not

expressly say so, seems intended to imply that, prior to cutting off the supply for arrears, as before cutting off for any other reason, at least twentyfour hours' notice in writing must be given to the person in arrears; and notice of intended cutting off is usual, whether obligatory or not.

2532b. Renewal.-When once the supply is cut off, the person is not entitled to obtain a renewal of the supply until he has paid all arrears and expenses, and has complied with the provisions previously described with reference to security or deposit (2506-7).

2533. Magisterial Proceedings. -Arrears due for gas, contrary to the law with regard to common debts, are subject to very peremptory proceedings before magistrates. Whether the sup ply has been cut off or not, the company is entitled to summon the person in arrears before any magistrate; and on the appearance of such person, or in default of such appearance, the magistrate may issue his warrant of distress for the seizure and sale of the goods of such person to the amount of debt and expenses.

2534a. Incoming Tenants.-It is especially provided that, in case any consumer of gas leaves the premises where such gas has been supplied to him without paying for the gas or meter-rent, the gas company shall not be entitled to require from the next tenant of such premises the payment of the arrears left unpaid by the former tenant; unless such incoming tenant has undertaken with the former tenant to pay or exonerate him from the payment of such arrears.

2534b. Water Supply.-Though the old-fashioned mode of obtaining water for domestic use from wells by means of hand pumps still prevails in rural districts and many towns, the largest towns, and especially the various districts of the metropolis, are supplied by means of pipes communicating with public reservoirs, and the law relating

thereto is of constant and increasing interest.

Wherever the water supply is under the control of the local government of the place, many of the conditions are accordingly determined with reference to that place alone, and the circumstances under which companies supply water to provincial towns vary exceedingly, so that no complete rules can be quoted to suit all cases, but the following particulars are generally applicable.

With few exceptions, a water company may be compelled to supply water on demand anywhere within its district, but, beyond the ordinary supply, the rule is that the person requiring the water must undertake to accept and pay for a supply for three years, at a cost of thirty per cent. of the cost of the pipes required for the special commenced, the company is liable, after supply. When once supply has been notice, to a penalty of £2 for every day of discontinuance of supply, unless some extraordinary excuse can be alleged.

It is a peculiarity of water supply, as distinguished from gas, that the water company is entitled to compel the adoption of pipes and fittings in accordance with special regulations, and to require such pipes and fittings to be kept in repair, especially so as to prevent waste of water; because

The charges for water, though they may be, and sometimes are, by meter, are usually in the manner of rates upon the annual value of the house supplied, so that all waste is to the detriment of the company; and the pressure of water is so great that pipes, and fittings, and joints which are quite sufficient for gas, would seriously leak, or perhaps burst, if submitted to the ordinary force of water supply.

Water pipes and fittings of all kinds are exempt from seizure under executions or distress for rent.

Incoming tenants are entitled to supply, whether the previous tenants were in arrears or not, unless there is a special covenant whereby the incoming tenant has accepted liability for arrears.

IS AN UNSIGHTLY PROJECTION.

2535. Intestacy.-A person who dies without leaving a will in force is called an intestate. Many persons are so circumstanced that it is a needless trouble to make a will, because the law provides for the distribution of their property in a manner that is satisfactory to the intestate when living.

2536. Effect of Intestacy. When a person dies intestate, the property goes according to the circumstances, as hereafter described.

2537. Land requires no administration, but passes without any formality to the male heir by primogeniture, or to female heirs.

2538. Eldest Son.-The whole of the land of an intestate passes undivided to the eldest surviving son (if any) to the exclusion of daughters and younger sons, a son born after the death of his father (called a posthumous child) having the preference over his sisters.

2539. Only Daughter.- When the intestate has no son, and only one daughter, the land goes to such daughter; but

2540. Coparceners.-If there be no son, and two or more daughters, the daughters are entitled to equal shares, irrespective of age, and are called coparceners.

2541. Succession Duty.-Every successor to land, whether by intestacy or otherwise, is directly liable for the succession duty.

2542. Personal Property.- All property that is not land is called personalty, and is subject to laws differ

ing very widely from those relating to land.

2543. Administration. Whoof an intestate is said to administer it, ever disposes of the personal property and whoever administers without also obtaining "Letters of Administration," is liable to a penalty of £100 and 10 per cent. extra stamp duty. But such letters cannot be obtained till seven days after the death, and a margin of six months is allowed after the death

wherein to procure the letters, during which time necessary details of administration may go on, but after the six months have expired the liability to the penalty commences, unless there is contention in the Divorce Court going on.

2544. Widowers.-Under the old law, which regarded every wife's property as her husband's, the widower succeeded thereto as to his own, and there was no necessity for letters of administration, but, under the new law, which vests every wife's property in herself, it is not safe for a widower to proceed without obtaining letters.

2545. Assumption of Administration.-If a person, by operative acts, assumes the administration of intestate property, such person must continue to act unless some other qualified person accepts the office.

2546. Inoperative Acts.- Any person may do with impunity any act that is strictly necessary, such as ordering and paying for the funeral, tending children, or live stock, etc.; but

2547. Operative Acts.-If a person does any act or acts which are not

394

scendants;

(e) Father or mother;
(f) Brothers or sisters;

(g) Grandfathers or grandmothers; (h) Nephews, nieces, uncles, aunts, great-grandfathers, or great grandmothers;

(i) Kindred more remote than any of

the above;

(k) Creditors.

2554. The Inventory.-Formerly, if an administrator neglected to exhibit an inventory of the property, he thereby incurred the penalty of the bond; but, according to modern practice, such inventory is not required unless exAny interested pressly demanded.

person is entitled to demand it.

2555. Twelve Months.- Distribution of an intestate estate cannot legally commence till twelve months after the death of the intestate; and it must then proceed according to the Statute of Distributions.

2556. Widowers.-A widower is entitled to the whole personal estate of his intestate wife, and such estates are expressly exempted from the Statute of Distributions, from which the succeeding particulars are taken as far as paragraph 2569.

2557. Widows with Children.A widow of an intestate is entitled, if there are children or descendants of children, to one-third of the personalty, the rest going to the children or their descendants; but

2558. Widows without Children.-If an intestate husband leaves no children or descendants of children, his widow is entitled to one-half of the personalty, the rest going to all the nearest of kin in the same degree.

2559. Widows of Husbands without Kindred.-When an intestate husband dies without children, and without any known kindred, the widow is still entitled to only half the personalty, for the other half can then be claimed by the Crown.