The eighteenth annual provincial meeting of the Incor- porated Law
Society was held at Plymouth on Tuesday, the President giving, in his opening address, the usual review of the legislation of the year. After throwing doubts on the utility of the Circuit system, Mr. Melmoth Walters made a vigorous attack on the proposal to appoint a public trustee, which he asserted world only produce " officialism and increased expense." Somewhat inconsequentially, however, he ended by declaring that "if the duty of public trustee were limited to that of being a mere custodian of funds, having no discretion as to the dealings with them, and being bound to act in accordance with the direction of the trustees or bene- ficiaries if not inconsistent with the terms of the trust, I do not feel that any substantial objection could be made, and such a trustee would satisfy all the reasonable aspirations of those at' whose instance the scheme is proposed." Of course. But this RI in effect all the public wants. The unfortunate father of a family who desires to put money in settlement, is worried to distraction by the bothers at present attending the creation of a trust. He knows his friends and relatives loathe the very name of trustee, and yet he is obliged to ask them to undertake that thankless office. What he would like would be to place his money in the hands of a public official whose " grip " of it would be unlooseable, and to enrol in that official's office a paper directing the uses of the fund, which would be certain to be followed, let the cetuique trust lament ever so loudly. Possibly some people would still prefer two uncles and the family solicitor. A public trustee would not, however, interfere with their choice.
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