In re Garrett-Williamson Lodge
In re Garrett-Williamson Lodge
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
This is an appeal from a decree of the court below creating a corporation of the first class under the Act of April 29, 1874, P. L. 73, and its suppplements. The corporate name is “The Garrett-Williamson Lodge,” and in the preparation of the certificate of incorporation, as well as in the procedure to obtain the charter, all statutory requirements were observed. The appeal is in the nature of a certiorari, so that in reviewing the record thus brought before us, our inquiry is necessarily limited to questions relating to the proper exercise of the discretion exercised by the court below in granting the charter under the law. The power to approve, or to refuse to approve, charters in this class of cases, is vested by the Act of 1874 in courts of Common Pleas. If the proceedings are not in accordance with the statutory requirements, or if there has been an abuse of legal discretion, such questions may be reviewed here on certiorari, but not otherwise: Vaux’s Appeal, 109 Pa. 497. In the present case there was strict compliance with every requirement of the Act of 1874, and the court below approved the charter. This was within the legal discretion of that court and nothing called to our attention shows any abuse of it. It is objected that the charter does not comply with the statute because, (a), no copy of the will is attached to the charter; (b), there is no limitation as to yearly income; and, (c), no person is substituted in place of one of the corporators and managers who died prior to the entry of the decree. The answer to these positions may be summed up in the general statement that the act authorizing the creation of such corporations contains no mention of any of these things, and therefore, they cannot be said to be condi
There is no merit in the third objection. The certifi
There is nothing in this entire record to show an abuse of discretion by the learned court below in approving the charter, and therefore nothing to warrant a reversal.
Decree affirmed at cost of appellant.
Reference
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- Syllabus
- Corporations, first class — Charters—Articles of incorporation— Testamentary trust — Copy of will — Limitation of yearly income— Death of subscriber. 1. The action of a Court of Common Pleas in granting a charter to a corporation of the first class under the Act of April 29, 1874, P. L. 73, and its supplements, where in the preparation of the certificate of incorporation as well in the procedure to obtain the charter all statutory requirements were observed, will not be reversed upon certiorari on the ground that the charter does not comply with the statute in particulars not mentioned in the act and therefore not conditions precedent upon which the granting of the charter depends. 2. Where in such a case the corporation was created in accordance with the provisions of a will for the purpose of executing certain testamentary trusts, failure to have a copy of the will attached to the charter does not affect the validity of the charter. 3. In such a case the charter is not invalidated because of the failure to provide an express limitation of yearly income, particularly where such charter does contain the following provision: “It shall also have the power to receive, hold, purchase, sell, transfer and convey other real and personal estate and property, not exceeding the amount limited by law.” 4. In such a case the fact that one of twenty-five subscribers to the certificate of incorporation died prior to the granting, in no way affects the validity of the charter. 5. In such a case the fact that no women were named as subscribers or as members of the hoard of managers of the corporation is immaterial where it does not appear that there was any provision in the will under which the coiporation was created requiring the inclusion of women.