SUNSTROKE AND THEN INFLUENZA

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 159, 31 March 1922, Page 6

SUNSTROKE AND THEN INFLUENZA

VICISSITUDES OF A COACH PAINTER ILL-HEALTH LEADS TO BANKRUPTCY L_ / The first meeting of creditors in tho estate of William Henry McCullough, coach painter, of Heretaunga Street, Petone, was held yesterday morning. The Official Assignee (Mr. 8. Tansley) presided, and there were six creditors present. Bankrupt, in his filed statement, said that in February, 1914, he suffered from a sunstroke whilst working on the roof of a car shed at Newtown, and as a consequence was off .work for six months, and earned nothing. After that he went back to the tramway shed, but was advised by his doctor to leave the tramways. lie then started business as a coach painter in Taranaki Street. His wife assisted him oy lending him £5O, which was. all tho capital he had. Shortly after commencing business his medical adviser ordered him to make a change of locality and advised him to go to Petone. In October, 1920, he obtained a corporation lease of a section of land m Heretaunga Street, with a g erected hereon. His wife paid the rent of the Petone property several times, and he had never paid her anything back. He was getting along all Tight until 1918, when he was attacked bv influenza, from the effects of which he had never properly recovered. He had 'been under practically ever since, and in addition had been unable to do much work.. He had done his best to pay off his indebtedness to everybody, bus some of his creditors had issued judgment summonses against him, and. were continually pressing him. Ow.mg to his illness he was unable to carry on business, and had had. to give up the garage. He had obtained work at the Petone railway shops, where he was still employed, and was earning about £5 a week whan working, but on account of illness he had not had a full week’s- pay for some time. The list of unsecured creditors was shown at £246 2s. 2d., the principal creditors being: 8. S. Williams and Co., furniture manufacturers, Wellington, £57; Education Department, Wellington. £63 2s. lOd.; W. Phillips and Sons, motor trimmers, Wellington, 5s • T A. Weils, paint merchant, Weilinton, £2B 18s. 3d. The only asset was the value of the lessee s interest in the section in Heretaunga Street, Pt tone, which was set /down at £6OO. , , Mr. R. E. Flaws, who represented the bankrupt, said that the lease was a very valuable one, and had tyentyseven years to run. It was just a question of selling the lease, anc * bankrupt would be able to pay off all his creditors. ' , The Official Assignee remarked that the estate should pay 20s. in the £. He would endeavour to dispose of the lease. The meeting wis adjourned sine die.