MANY TRANSACTIONS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2813, 20 November 1924, Page 2

MANY TRANSACTIONS.

A BANKRUPT’S POSITION DIFFICULT TO PROVE. A discharge from bankruptcy was yesterday granted Garrett Francis O’Rourke, stock dealer and farmer, of Pahiatua, who placed his application before His Honour, Mr Jnst ice Reed, at the Supreme Court at .Palmerston North. Air Cooper appeared for the bankrupt, the application being opposed by Mr Wilson, D.0.A., of Pahiatua. In opposing the application, the D.O.A. said the causes of the business failure were not attrjbutablc altogether to the slump, for it had been established that the bankrupt had been living a very extravagant life, and had been a frequent customer of flip hotels as well as a consistent rider in motor cars to various parts of the district. The speaker had had no books to draw upon when making up the position of O'Rourke, who, when asked, had slated certain payments had been made in wages whereas the D.O.A. knew some of them to be paid to hotelkeepers. Bankrupt had not,,- -

assisted him in the collection of his affairs; on the contrary, his attitude had been one of “quiet resistance.” His transactions with the Wairarapa Farmers’ Association he had extracted from his papers, he had not mentioned the Association as a creditor at all, whereas his deailngs with them had amounted to over £16,000 as a stock dealer.

“1 was in the dark,” continued the D.0.A., “and 1 think his withholding of the siatements was made with the object of preventing me from discovering his transactions.” His Honour: Is thei-e anything outstanding?

Ah - Wilson: His transactions were so many during the past few years and so much money has been transferred that it is difficult to say. Mr Cooper said he was instructed that the bankrupt had handed to his solicitor all the information that was to be adduced as to his estate.

His Honour, while approving the attitude of the D.0.A., saw no reason why the discharge should be withheld further. The discharge was therefore gx’anted.