BAD TO WORSE.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 November 1922, Page 5

BAD TO WORSE.

A BANKRUPT FOREMAN. ■When one lot of creditors were pressing hard for payment, and had obtained judgment against him, Frank Hickey, foreman, Kaponga, used his current earnings in an endeavor to satisfy them and. thereby got further into debt, without materially reducing , the total indebtedness. In fact, the debts gradually became greater, and consequently he attended at the ofiire of the D.O.A. (Mr. J. S. S. Medley) at New Plymouth yesterday to explain the reasons for his bankrupt state. Messrs. A. Corkill, farmer, Inglewood, and T. Murphy, cattle dealer, Egmont Village, were the* only creditors present, and the meeting consequently lapsed for want of a quorum. Details of debte and assets were published in Wednesday’s issue. “1 have been struggling with a load of debt for some years,” said Hickey, in a written statement. “About eight years ago I had a bad accident when a horse bolted with my gig, and I was smashed up and rendered unable to work for six months. After that for three seasons I was share milking on different farms in the Kaupokoniii district, but got into arrears during this period owing partly to having a big family to support and partly to illness. I was laid up for practically two years on account of a broken leg, which was also poisoned, and which could not be properly set. Pleurisy afterwards developed.” The statement continued that he had never got accounts cleared up in connection with his last sharemilking job at Whenuakura. Since August, 1921, he had been working as county road foreman, first with the Inglewood County at 'Egmont Village at 13s per day, and recently with the Egmont County at Kaponga at 14s per day. He had always been faced with clearing up back debts, and when these old accounts wore being sued for, it meant that he had to pay a great deal more than the actual debts. He had no accounts of any kind.

STATEMENT ON OATH. Examined under oath, bankrupt stated that he was a married man with six children, of whom four were keeping themselves. He gave details of his various ventures at sharemilking. When he first sarted three years ago he owed about £2OO, which was increased to £3OO by the time he went to Egm opt Village/ The furniture belonged to his wife, who had gradually got it together. It was still under a bill of sale to Mr. T. B. Crump. He had tried to raise a loan on it sufficient to pay his Inglewood creditors, but could’ obtain only £24. That money had gone in his Hceep, storing of the- furniture, and shifting expenses when he went to Kaponga. Mr. Corkill inquired, with reference to the Inglewood earnings, what had become -of this money in view of the fact that bankrupt had not paid his rent, his free grazing for his cow, and had not •paid his butcher’s bill? 'Bankrupt replied that he had paid some of his lent and that the rest of the money had gone in payment of back debts. The rent owing was £l5, but this amount had been increased to £lB by lawyers’ and other cc-sts. Mr. Corkill expressed dissatisfaction with the position, and hoped that another meeting would be called, when he would have something to say. It apI peared to him that bankrupt had ob- > tained much credit when he was already heavily in debt. Mr. Murphy mentioned the matter of a cow which he had sold to bankrupt when he cime to Egmont Village. Bankrupt had offered to pay half down, but from that day to this he had not received a penny. He considered Hickey had deliberately misled him. He had promised to pay several times, but nothing had come' of the promises. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Bankrupt said that he did not have Hie money and so could not pay. He was not a teetotaller, but did not spend much money in the hotels; five shillings was as much as he ever spent in drink in one day. He did not go to the races or gamble in any way. Neither he nor his wife had any money. He would got a statement of how he had spent his money while at Ingrewood, and won cl forward it on to the D.O.A. Of the £l6 a month approximately he earned ar, Eg . mont Village, not more than £2 per month would be available to pay off back debts. Mr. Corkill observed that while bankrupt was earning £l6 per month ho was also going into debt at the rate of £.(; or £7 a month. He had nothing more to say concerning liis own account then, 'but he thought that another creditor he knew would have | something to say very much to the