A BUSHMAN'S BANKRUPTCY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 316, 16 February 1910, Page 2

A BUSHMAN'S BANKRUPTCY.

UNFORTUNATE POSITION OF ! WAGES MEN. j AX INEXPLICABLE TANGLE. i The adjourned meeting of creditors in the estate of Partridge, sawmiller, of Egmont road, was held in the D.U.A.'.office yesterday. Mr. J. S. S. Medley piesiding The creditors present were wages men. Mr. T. S. Weston, Crown Solicitor, appeared with the D.0.A., an.l Mr. R. C. Hughes for the bankrupt. Mr. Medley stated that since the firsi. ,meeting Mr. Weston and he had gone through the Xew Plymouth Sash uid Door Company's books, so far as they related to its dealings with .bankrupt. in company with the Sash and Dow Company's staff. It had been found that a sum of £ls was due to ban.Krupt from the company. This was the sole asset of the estate, the remaining property in which was all covered by the three bills of sale, to Messrs Viewers and Stevens. Mrs. A. Richmond, and Mr. R. C. Hughes. After a desultory discussion, and a severe cross-examining of the bankrupt, whose answers did not elucidate matters at all, Mr. James, one of the creditors, moved that a public examination of bankrupt be held. This was not seconded. Mr. M. Inman then moved that the . £ls due from the Sash and Door Company be devoted toward the liquidation of the expenses of the bankruptcy. This was carried.

SOME AFTER-THOUGHTS. } It was made clear during a subse- j quent round-the-table talk that the men ■ had considered their wages safe, being of opinion that the Sash and Door Company was bound to withhold 25 per cent, of moneys due to. Partridge until assured that the wages were paid. Mr. Weston explained, however, that the bankrupt was a contractor, who contracted to deliver timber at certain price—a price, he remarked, that was ridiculously low and one which he could not hope to make the business pay, or even pay his way. The company had fulfilled all its obligations. There were some angry disputations concerning the disposal of the bankrupt's horses and other plant, the creditors considering they had been unfairly dealt with, Partridge apparently keying them out of their wages in order to°keep up his payments under bills of pale and mortgages, the plant being seized by the holders of the latter. There' was considerable discussion re-, "ardiiio- a horse which the •bankrnnr bought 1 through Messrs Vickers a.u\| Stevens, bv whom it was held under bill I of sale. The bankrupt admitted to rhe | creditors that the Sash and Door '..'o.J had got the horse, held it until after i the sale of the plant, and then returned it to the mill. | The D.O.A. said the company's manager denied all knowledge of any such : transaction. It was whilst this matter was being discussed, or questioned, that one voung man answered a question directed at the bankrupt. i "Hold your tongue. Jim," said the. questioner, "I'm not asking you." The j other creditor was prompt with his e.J-1 vice for his companion in distress to i "go and get your head read." I At this stage a man with a barrel- j organ took up his stand outside the ■ door, and plaintive strains floated in on the heavily charged atmosphere. Questioned again regarding the hors.. bankrupt under pressure admitted buying it from Bell Block. Mr. Unties hastened to add that this was the fir-t! he had heard of it. "There you are.'; said the excitable individual on the left j of the bankrupt, "you know nothing." , and the unfortunates roared at the mo- l ,mentary discomfiture of the man whom , they were .disposed to treat as an opponent, from the fact that he was acting for the holders of the bills of sale. Xext minute a question arose as to jthe number of horses and bullocks In- | eluded in a bill of sale. Mr. Hughe* was inclined to be precise, but a cre-.1-j j itor said: ''lt doesn't matter: it's six of one and half-a-dozen of the other. - ' "Oh, no,' said the lawyer, in an attempt to get even, "there were four of one and fourteen of the other." Bur he was no match for the man from :!ie bush, who blandly interjected that tie I '.'.. were "four of one and twelve of the other —four horses and twelve bullocks." two nf the latter beinc missing. Another burst of laughter. Bankrupt's statement that he hid earned only £-1 from the time the iniil closed clown until the bankruptcy w;ip treated with derision, and one of <;ie men soon brought his earniiiL's up to a ! luiueh higher figure.-, according to ais own reckoning.

Later mi. one of the creditors said: '•'Oh, yes. laborers have to work for i!v company for nothing. Icppd ourselves in clothe?; and tucker, on nothing. Our wages liens arc no good." Mr. Wilton said they could "talk. talk, talk." as long as they liked, but nothing would come out of it. The accounts between the company and Farrridgo were quite straight. A creditor; If ther denv spnding 'nr that horse, and taking it away. and then sending it out to the mill when i f started again, the accounts are not 'ill straight. Another complained: It seems to u- 1 I can take a contract, go in dcht "'or food, go in debt fo r clothes, «r> in debt for wattes, go in debt for pvprvthinir -i'! over the place: and then go bankrupt. :Then T can turn round and say io the man who asks me for monev. "H'.s ,il! right, old fellow: T'm bankrupt now. and I'm clear of everything." Mr. YlVton: Well, there's no d"nM ?,. good deal In what you say. The creditor: "Well. I'm troubling no more about paying my debts. And the man outside played. "Home. Sweet Home" on the barrel nrsran. Then on- of (he.cre'!itor<. the yf>un_'. est of them all. exclainvd in ref'-'rei!'--e to the banL-runt's statement. 'Th' ni-ni who drpw un that statement kir-v hj" was doina' it wrong." "Do yon refer to me?" a--k"d M.\ TTiv.hc=.' "T don't know who made it." «;'.'l 'V 1 creditor. '•Well." said Mr. TTuahes. "T made t'le statement 1111 r '-nm Part rid"v*"Will ran vcval the statement yon m i 1p just now?'' An explanation was made tnnf thaman who supplied the information must have known it was wrong. After furUipr amenities, some lnnlering, some bitter, a creditor, leaving -he table, said. "Come on boys: there's no satisfaction to he got from thesp «entlement. We can w alk home. We've done in our bit." The man with the barrel-oi-oan outside broke into "Rule Britannia" as the meeting dispersed.