CHINESE LUCK FAILED

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 929, 24 March 1930, Page 1

CHINESE LUCK FAILED

TRIED TO SAVE FORTUNE j AT RACES GAOL FOR TWO MONTHS -Men in trade must know their obligations, and if they are in difficulties they should call their creditors together,” commented Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., at the Police Court this morning, sentencing Jam Gow, a Chinese fruit- i erer, to a term of two months’ imprisonment for breaches of the Bankruptcy Act. The evidence disclosed that, while his business was in a parlous state, Gow had raised £BO and gone to the Auckland races in a forlorn attempt to save the day. He had lost £SB. The charges were read over to accused by an interpreter, and Mr. Leslie Adams pleaded guilty on his behalf to charges of contracting debts while an adjudged bankrupt, and fraudulently removing a part of his property amounting to £SO. Mr. Hubble, prosecuting, said Jam had been in business at Te Aroha for, three years as a fruiterer. Last No- i vember or December he found him-i self in financial difficulties, and, in-1 stead of calling a meeting of liis J creditors, he had contracted debts without any reasonable prospect of ! paying them. Then he had suddenly disappeared from Te Aroha, leaving a man in charge of his shop. He had been traced to Wellington, through Christchurch to Invercargill and back to Dunedin, where he was found and brought back to the North. The man had filed liis own petition. His liabilities amounted to £4OO, and he had no assets. Before going to the South Island he had got together what money he could? about £BO. At the Auckland races he had lost £SB in a vain attempt to retrieve his fortunes. Jam’s story was that ha had gone South in an attempt to borrow money. SERIOUS ASPECT Mr. Hubble pointed out that a serious aspect of the case was the difficulty in tracing Chinese, who could disappear so easily. “Jam was found working in a garden, and they were lucky to find him at all,” declared counsel. Jam was a married man with two children, said Mr. Adams. He also had an aged mother, and he sent regular remittances to his family in China. Competition in Te Aroha was responsible for Jam’s financial distress. In Mr. Adams’s opinion the creditors had acted unwisely in giving £4OO credit so easily to a foreigner, who could not even speak English. As to his losses at-the races, the man had trusted to his Chinese luck, which proved to be a fallacy. “Jam lias given no trouble," counsel said. “He has reported every day and he filed his own petition in bankruptcy.” Assured .by the magistrate that there was no chance of probation, Mr. Adams asked for leniency, pointing out that any long term of imprisonment would result in hardship for Jam’s family in China. The maximum penalty that could be imposed was six months’ imprisonment. Mr. Hunt remarked that he would treat Jam exactly as he had done the last European who was up on similar charges. A term of two months’ imprisonment was imposed.