RUNNING A PAPER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 139, 13 June 1911, Page 5

RUNNING A PAPER.

AND THE " BLACK " PAMPHXET. BANDING- OUT HELP.. THAT ENDED IN BANKRUPTCY. AN EDITOR AT 5/ PER WEEK. I. The first meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of William Pierrepont Black, who for some time conducted a small paper eal.'red the "Leader," and. incidentally, pub lished what have become ' known as the '"Black" pamphlets, was to have been held -it the rooms ot the Official [ -issiguee (Mr. Fisher) this morning, but ' the only one besides the debtor, . was Mr. Richmond, representing Mr. t_. IJ. Carey, of Wellington, the principal , creditor. The Assignc. decided, for tho i benefit of the creditor represented, to pu'c • | Black under examination. _ j Bankrupt, being .worn, stated, in reply Ito ALT. JrUc-hniond, tJiat uptill about "two > I years ago he was ar, auctioneer in Auck- ' j land ana elsewhere—just travelling. He , j was a licensed auctioneer, and travelled | j with goods. j Mr. i-uhmond: How did you come to ' I start a newspapi.-r?—Well, I have been lin the Labour movement for over 22 j years, and whei i a split, took place in •the "New Zealand Worker" party, the Political Labour League, I started the ■["New Zealand I leader." Who backed you?—No one. | Did iou print anything besides the ! paper?—Oh, yes. I printed a pamphlet l about Ward, the Premier. I published ftLhe matter fir.t in the paper a* a serial. I Mr. Richmond: Hiave you any record Ito show what you made out of it?— j Oh, yes. ! And showing whiit you have received •in connection with it?— Yes. You will j find it in my books.. About 20,000 copies :of the pamphlet v/ere sold. A rather new-looking set of books ! w.is produced, tb.-e assignee explaining that ibey were npide up from memoirs copied out by th.« bankrupt. P.inkrupt interjected that he never ienlf in .-redit,, the business being praeticallv n cash one. The absolute liabilities, he de, -tared, only amounted to , about £12 10/, besides a few personal ' debts. j In further reply to Mr. Richmond he I stated that he got between £8 and £10 ! per thonsan/1 for the pamphlets. How Ihe came t>-> publish the matter was I thro-u_h going to Wellington, where a J Spiritualist and Socialist presented j him with a doenment, remarking, in I doing so. "Rlaek, if yon are true to the I cause yon should publish this document." |"I got a -bit of a shook when I read the j matter." went on the bankrupt," so I ■ published it. and in a little while people I used to come along and ask for back nura.be rs of the "Leader." I did not have enough in print, so I decided to brinr; it out again in the shape of a ' \ parr filet. 1 Lr. Richmond: And yon received ab-: I s< >) utely nothing out of the pamphlet I ! ej;cept what you got by the sales? —No., j f did the printing and sold it in bulk I for about £S or £10 per thousand. Some: . used to pay as much as £12 a thousand, | but the average would be about £9 or £10. 1 Mr. Richmond: Are you satisfied with these books, Mr. Assignee? I The Assignee: Well, one expects different styles of book-keeping in different classes of business. I have not gone i into them thoroughly, but they seem to I set out the amounts he has received, ; ' from the business all right. Of course, iit is not right for a man to copy I memoranda and make up his books, but [ ; his business appears to have been a | very small one, practically run and I worked by him and his wife. J Mr. Richmond (to bankrupt): And you , I say that you did not get any lump sum of money from anyone in regard to the sales of this pamphlet?— No. I did I not print them to get any revenue. I I printed them first in the paper. I The Assignee: Was there any profit; [to you in that pamphlet at all?—No, I ! was giving them away in dozens, as a j matter of fact. Workers out of work. | would come along and I would give them I a few dozen copies ot the pamphlet to to sell on their own account. ' Mr. Richmond: Have you got a re-1 i cord of people to whom you gave these' I pamphlets?— No. Then how can you prove you gave them ! I away?— The men to whom I gave them J could prove that. I just did it to help i them. I used to give away "Leaders" ! also, in order to help workers out of - work. I know that all sorts of yarns! penetrated to the House. Why, it has j been sheer persecution I have suffered! from over it. the debtor exclaimed with! j heat, and was proceeding to harangue j j the three or four gathered together, ! when he was pulled up by Mr. Richmond, 1 who asked him the nature of his pre- ' sent occupation. "I am a canvasser for a little paper j j organised by my wife," answered bank- j I rupt. and went on to say that the paper ■produced between £2 5/ and £2 10/ per j ■ week, of which he, as editor and can-1 j vasser, got 5/ a week for pocket money. | | Whether his wife expected to make more | j than this out of the paper he did not! i know. | Mr. Richmond: And do you intend to I ,go on working for 5/ a week for your ,-wife? —Yes, I will go on for tbe sake jof the cause, but I do not say it will i i always be for 5/ a week. f ! Have you any intention to work and! ; endeavour to reduce your debts?—No, i I I cannot see my way. ! j Have you made any effort to get more | I remunerative employment since the I debts were incurred? —Yes, I looked for ja job with my brother for travelling, but jl did not get it. I am not fit to earn |nw living by manual labour. I Why?-—My occupation has been a journalistic occupation. I have been a jourInalist at Home. I Are you physically unfit?—No; but I lam not used to manual labour. Then _re you prepared to -live on charity? Bankrupt: Look, Mr. Richmjond, I don't wish to be insulted, and I won't I be, whatever the consequences may be. I You are not entitled to ask such a question. I have made my living in an in- , tellectual manner, both as a journalist j and also as secretary to one of the chief lawyers in the Dominion. | The Assignee: I think, Mr. Richmond, 1 lit is a fair assumption that if a man has [arrived at middle age without being ac- : customed to manual work, he is not fit! ! for manual labour at that age. Mr. Richmond ( to bankrupt): What . can you offer your creditors?—l can offer 1/ i> week. Before I was smashed' up T offered £10 or £lo down and 5.' a week, but the time for that has passed. i The meeting was at this stage ad-! ' journ=d sine dip. pending instructions to! i Mr. Richmond from his principal.