BANKRUPTCY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9404, 10 January 1894, Page 3

BANKRUPTCY.

STATEMENT OF D. KEMPT, DENTIST. Donald Kempt, dentist, a bankrupt), in his statement before the Official Assignee yesterday said that prior to six years ago ho carried on business in Auckland. He went to South America on account of ill-health, and paid all his debts to the date of leaving, and took with him a large stock of instruments and materials. At the time of his departure ho owned the properties mentioned in his schedule of accounts filed : An allotment in Wellesley-streeb, leased from the City Council, a freehold in Shortlandstreet, mortgaged to Mr. Aitken ; and freehold allotments in Wynyard Road, Mount Eden, mortgaged to Mrs. Porter. For the first three years after he left he had a succession of severe illnesses, and during the last three years the country of the Argentine Republic had been in such a disturbed state that only a bare living was to be made, so that he had no means of keeping up the payment of rents and interests on the properties referred to. The leasehold allotment was bought at auction on his account for the purpose of building a private house and studio for the practice of his profession, and it was not till he had the plans made out and the money roady for building, that he found out that the next allotment, belonging .to the City Council, was occupied as a house of ill-fame. In the circumstances, he appealed to them for relief, either by getting rid of their objectionable tenant or releasing him. The answer given was that the houso was so notorious that he should have known of it, and that consequently no relief could be given. He paid the ground rent (£BS per annum) for about two or three more years, and then Mr. R. C. Greenwood offered to sell him the Shorbland-sbreec property, above referred to, and he agreed to buy and pay £500 over the mortgage (£700), on condition that he (Greenwood) should take over the Wellealey-street leasehold. The transfer was made and the money paid, but the City Council refused their consent, and thus he was left with both properties on his hands. Shortly before leaving New Zealand (February, 1888) he made another appeal to the City Council on the same grounds as before, bub was told that it was useless to apply to them any more. His immediate reason for filing was that he was anxious to arrange with the executors of the late W. H. Skeet for taking over the practice on his own account, bub the difficulties relating to the properties mentioned prevented his doing so. He was at present managing the business on a salary. He had to sell the more valuable of his instruments, etc., in order to obtain the means of paying the passages of himself and family to New Zealand, reaching Auckland on Dec amber 25, 1893. His liabilities were tfs follow (approximately): —Wellesley-street > lease, £510; the two freeholds, estimated to be worth £1200, were subject to a lien 'off £1020 for mortgages and interest. His only assets consist of I dental instruments and household effect?; I the former were valued at £47 13s and the I latter at £60. "*