AN IMPUDENT DEBTOR.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3708, 4 June 1883, Page 4

AN IMPUDENT DEBTOR.

Wo (Advocate) have heard of many impudent debtors in New Zealand of late, but tho championship in this respect should undoubtedly be awarded to Mr Richard Mcnnhennet, "formerly of Bulls, and now of Wauganui. This individual, a labouring nian,°convonod a meeting of his creditors, which was hold at Waugauui on Tuesday afternoon. In the course of his examination he admitted that his grocery accounts for the iir.it four months of the year amounted to about ,£GO, and that the whole amount of his indebtedness of £111 was almost all for accounts incurred this year. He further stated that during , January he had done no work, and during the following three months hi.s earnings had averaged about €1 a week. Yet this man who, accordhi" to his own showing, was earning only £ 1 a week, 10s of which went as rent, ran up grocery debts at the rate of .03 Uα a week, and in addition ho ran up bills lor beef and beer. He was in the habit of o-cttiu! 1, his beer in teu-gallon kegs, and he consumed seven or eight of these in a few months. Worse still, he bought large (Quantities of furniture,, etc., and sold them at "a ruinous sacrifice" within a few weeks of their purchase, though he has not yet paid for thorn. His total liabilities incurred in this way during tlio five mouths of Ihc present year amounted to .fill. His wife had boon doing the washing for the Collegiate School at £L per week, but she had thrown up the job as it " did not pay • We arc glad to learn that the creditors instructed their solicitor to prosecute this brazen-faced individual for fraudulent bankruptcy, if, in the solicitor's opinion, a good case could be made out. This kind of thing has been permitted to go on too longby tradesmen who have been afraid ot '' throwing good money after bad.'' Unless storekeepers take the trouble and expense to prosecute such men, then they may expect to be fleeced without remorse.