OFFICIAL ASSIGNEE SYSTEM

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 487, 21 April 1909, Page 9

OFFICIAL ASSIGNEE SYSTEM

4 SHOIJLD IT BE CHANGED. •: ::(dy/.tbi.bob'apii.— Sl'BClAl. CO'lilssr-j-iiiBST I Illu „ Dunodln, April 20. -J.lie.Sstar ? presents - some reasons for inquiring/further accepting - tho, resoju-tions;;.of-•;tho Chambers of Commerce Con-. .:fcr.enc6; asj iq ;doing hway. with - ofßcial assignees' :/• "It: : may be imagined 1 that. stress is/! laid i'on .tlie ' fact - that nowadays / many estates', are privately administered' instead ■of ' going throligli the' hands - of .the , official assignees,/ tind 'that comparisons of results have been made to ■ the prejudice;: of tho official/assignees. /.On this . point; it vis butfait , to,-bear-in mind all the circumstances. Partly out of syinpathy with the debtors,, and' partly, from a. natural desire" on the. part' of . tho/ creditors v'to " avoid' the - full glare of the open Court, private trustees have been resorted-to, ; for many windings.; up, and .it is asserted that as a rule the cleanest and most-'desirable estates havo gone, in .that direction, leaving the less desirable estates, thoso 'with no "assets. and those of persons whose conduct has been unsatisfactory, to be dealt with by the official assignees. ' As a•, result, ■ tho private. assignees ■■ have been able, m tho majority of cases, 'to pay fair dividends, .Whilst tho official,.assignees have had to .strugglo- with impossibilities. Tho average business man is too; busy over his own affairs to.'take much noterof the causes m such cases. l|.e simply notes the result, and not unriaturally comes to tho conclusion that the private -assignee system, is" the better. one, because it Jias paid him' dividends: lhe real question is Whether tho private system would have come; out 'so well'if it had 'taken all the estates." '