MISSING SOLICITOR

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 291, 8 September 1928, Page 9

MISSING SOLICITOR

MEETING OF BATCHELOR’S CREDITORS ’'ESTATE IN A HOPELESS MESS” Dominion Special Service. < Christchurch, September 7. A meeting of creditors in the estate ot John Black Batchelor, the missing solicitor for. whose arrest a warrant was issued on August 9, was held in the Pro vincial Council Chambers tins morning, the Official Assignee (Mr. A. W. Watters) presiding. Batchelor has not been located by the police, and in -order that a full investigation could be made into his .affairs he was adjudged a bankrupt ■on a creditor’s petition by Mr. Justice Adams on Tuesday last. There was an attendance of about fifty creditors and persons interested in the estate. The tun amount of the debts owing by Batchelor cannot be ascertained until an investigation is made, but it is estimated that the deficiency will considerably exceed £5OOO. At this morning’s meeting a committee consisting of Messrs. W. J. Hunter and Angus Donaldson was appointed to assist the Official Assignee in conducting the investigation, and authority was given to the Assignee to employ such accountancy and legal assistance as may be found necessary. A further meeting of creditors will be held when the committee is ready to make its report. The chief creditors who have supplied provisional proof of debt are Violet feu therland £4OO, W. E. lorns £B7, H. Laban £335 13s. lid., Mrs. F. H. Laban £4OB, John Pooke £565 7s. 6d„ R. L. Straw £314 3s. 9d., L. Greenaway £23( bs. 9d , J. W. Blanchard, per A. A. Bruce £2O, R. L. Ronaldson £5OO, P. Eden £6OO, E. Waker .£l4O. G. M. Cairs £302. A. E. Cotton £35 3s. 7d. S. 11. Nunn £52. The Official Assignee said that no statement or any other information could be given to the creditors at this stage except that Batchelor had been declared bankrupt, and that his affairs were in a mess. Mr. W. J. Hunter: Can you tell us what the assets are? The Assignee: No, I have no information at present. Mr. Hunter: There are some, I understand. The Assignee: There are some book debts that will need to be looked into, and there are some mortgages. In some cases it is difficult to say whether the mortgages belong to clients or to the estate as they are mostly in Batchelors name. Mr. Hunter: There are two houses? The Assignee: They are both mortgaged up to tlie hilt and one is in his wife’s name. Mr. Hunter: With regard to the one in his wife’s name, do you propose to make an investigation as to how it came to be put in her name? Tlie Assignee replied that he proposed to do that, but there was so little equity in the property that it was a question whether there would be anything in it. Mr. Hunter mentioned that there was a motor-ear and also a library, although some of the books were being purchased on the hire-purchase system. The Assignee said there was also another car, but it was being bought on the ‘hire-purchase system. These matters would be inquired into. He added that there were many people who had left money witli Batchelor, and while they knew that he had handled the money, they did not know whether they were creditors or not. The interests of the creditors would be protected. The investigating committee was then appointed. A creditor asked if there was any chance of finding out from the bank what had become of the money paid m by Batchelor in the last fortnight before his disappearance. , . “Most decidedly.” replied tlie Assignee. “That is one of the first things we will look into. The difficult thing will be to ascertain what has become of the trust funds.” . The creditor: If John Brown paid m Peter Paul’s money, can Peter Paul get it back? , ,■ ~ , Amidst laughter the Assignee said that those matters would be investigated, the creditors could rely on the committee getting the affairs cleared up as soon as possible. There were a lot of matters to be looked into. The estate was m a hopeless mess. The meeting then adjourned.