NOT AN OFFENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 122, 25 May 1932, Page 10

NOT AN OFFENCE.

BETTING BY DEBTOBS. WOMAN HOTEL LICENSEE. MEETING IN BANKRUPTCY. f DEALINGS IN TROTTERS. 1 "Creditors sometimes feel that'debtors 1 shouldnot bet if their finances are rot 1 in a satisfactory position, but it is not ] an offence," said the Official Assignee, 1 Mr. A. W. Watters, this morning, when 1 the affairs of Mary Jane Evans, bank- ' rupt liotelkceper, of Waiwera, were under discussion. It was stated that , Mrs. Evans had been interested in trotting horses. At the first meeting on April 11, assets ■were shown at £590 and liabilities £1150, a deficiency of £500. A discrepancy was said to have been revealed by these figures, as compared with the balance-sheets set out. The discrepancy was accounted for at to-day's meeting by the fact that certain drawings ha°l been omitted. Mrs. Evans had kept the hotel at'Waiwwa and in four years had lost £2700. Drawings in that time had totalled £1301. Deficiency and Racehorses. Mr. Watters said that at the last meeting two questions concerned the creditors, that of the actual deficiency, which had been cleaved up, and that of transactions in connection with racehorses. A statement prepared by an accountant showed that while the horses had earned £1700, their keep had cost £207. The horses were Master Councillor, bought in 1922, for £250, and Moko Chief, bought in 1925, for the same figure. Mrs. Evans had raised two fillies and had sold them for £85. Moko Chief and Seclusion were still in hand to be disposed of. The creditors decided to auction the horses, and sell under the supervision of the largest creditor a section of land at Avondale, valued at S^ oo - , . "The position is not satisfactory, said Mr. Watters. "Bankrupt was in financial difficulties when she went to Waiwera, and was getting into worse difficulties each year. Also, she was • indulging in trotting horses, though it would appear that tliey had caused her no losses." A Creditor: Is there any reference to betting transactions? Mr. Watters: Even if she had betted, that is not an offence, and would not hinder her discharge unless it could be shown that the bankruptcy was in some measure due to it. The accountant, who had straightened | out Mrs. Evans' position, said that she had never had any money to bet with. Mrs. Evans would have been at the meeting except for her health. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He wished she were there to reply to questions. ■ # The smallness of the training costs was also commented on by several creditors. > < - Another Creditor: Mrs. Evans has always been a hard-working woman and we have every sympathy with her. The meeting closed without any motion being put.