BANKRUPT CHINAMAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15325, 11 June 1913, Page 5

BANKRUPT CHINAMAN.

HIS : PARTNER'S POSITION. A .meeting of creditors in the estate of,' Jim Wong, ■ "a* : Chinese fruiterer,' was held *- yesterday afternoon, the official' assignee (Mr. W. S. Fisher) presiding. ;?• Mr. A. E. Skelton:». represented the bankrupt,;, while Mr. • - Singer appeared on behalf of the ' bankrupt'si* partner, * William Chan. Various creditors were represented by Messrs*. *j J. Alexander and Stanton. ,;;' ,' --p'Jl'v ! In hi? statement: Wong set forth that a ls few months ■ ago ho had managed ?to > bor- ' ■ row £113, and with an additional £12 of vi;j his own had entered f into business ;as■' aV fruiterer with' George Chan, a mission:— student. Chan had put in £101, but after-w wards had withdrawn ; £21:" On February 14 bankrupt had sold out his interest in«d the , business ;to his partner; or £70, -..the*"-'/ liabilities of the' business at the time being vi-j £175, all of which George Chan agreed to i meet. Previously he had opened; negotia- 'f j tions with •.; William Chan, of < Dunedin, brother of his former : partner, for ; a partnership in a fruit business to be started in .I'f Auckland. This latter business, * however,k? was not started/ as William Chan > had \*| failed to send up £80 with which to make a start. He had been compelled to file ( because he had been sued by; A. B. Donald, ;■ Limited, for goods > supplied to George; t* Chan' and Jim Wong, and r : by Griffiths, J q Eraser and Company, for goods supplied tc' > the -firm of Jim Wong and William Chan. ?.' i He had been arrested upon a writ of arrest 7 ' ; j issued vby the first-named firm, -one of ?• whose directors swore an affidavit to the - I effect that Wong had remitted his money -'" to China, and that he had :'; information that he was about to leave for; China. The v ; first statement, bankrupt said, was not irM correct and as to the second statement, I Mr. Donald's informant was not telling >J the truth. . .*..'.*».-' '* *1

Among the unsecured creditors of concerns in which bankrupt was interested were the following : —Griffiths, Fraser and Co., auctioneers, £76 8s; A. JB. Donald, Ltd., merchants, £54:25; ;E. Whitehead, broker, £45; Wong Long, fruiterer, £40 {) Carpenter Arthur, auctioneer, \ £26 4s 3d'; J. Anderson, paper bag merchants, - 1 £10 10s; Ah Chee, fruiterer, £6. The liabilities of the estate were given as £258 4s 3d, while the assets were stated to be £17 17s.- •. • • ; : ■\- • . It. was stated by the official- assignee that a round robin ' had; been 1 ." received from 40 of the . principal % Chinamen ; carrying on business in • Auckland. ■ \This:" set forth that the signatories -had a ■ good, knowledge of the bankrupt, and that each \ one could 'certify that Jim Wong was an honest and good man, bearing ,a, good character. ■" They also stated 'that'he:- was not a gambler. / ... : ;:,:■•; In answer to questions, the bankrupt said , that three books—a"daily expenditure book, a book giving particulars of fruit bought, and a ledgerwere kept in connection with the business. v;. William Chan, formerly a missionary, but now a merchant at Dunedin, stated that he had been a partner in the business carried on by Jim Wong. They had started together in business in February. The witness said he was prepared to pay half the liabilities, but did not understand that he was liable for the whole amount. From further statements it was made to appeal' that George Chan, in the first partnership, had acted merely as Wiiiiam Chan's agent. ■■■'.' '..-■. .-;;- Ultimately the meeting was adjourned until this afternoon to'enable Chan to see what proposition he could make to the creditors. -