THE BANKRUPTCY LAW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19838, 7 January 1928, Page 10

THE BANKRUPTCY LAW.

4 PUBLICITY OF MEETINGS;

RESTRICTIONS ON REPORTING.

SPECIAL EXAMINATIONS ONLY. [BX TEXiEGEAPH.—OWN COREEBPONDEHT.] WELLINGTON, Friday. In spite of a direct statement bearing upon the matter made by the AttorneyGeneral in Parliament in regard Co one of the provisions of the Bankruptcy Amendment Act passed last session, misin« terprotationa are being .placed upon the meaning and intention of the section, as a result of a different construction read into it in the Legislative Council. The soction. in question (section 7) is that prohibiting the publication of reports of the examination of a bankrupt before an official assignee. One authoritative reading of the provision is that it applies only to meetings of creditors presided over by the official assignee. In reply to a question this morning the Attorney-General, Hon. F. J. Rolleston, said that was not a correct reading of the section nor was it the intention of the amendment. " The section," he said, " does not apply to meetings of creditors, but only to special examinations of bankrupts by the assignee for the special purEose of gaining information from the ankrupt or any other party in regard to the bankrupt's affairs. It is specially designed to prevent the publication of the business transactions of other people who have had dealings with the bankrupt." Mr. Kolleston said the reporting of the proceedings of meetings of creditors remains as before, and it is competent for all such proceedings, including the statement of tne bankrupt* to be published.