STORY OF MISFORTUNE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20332, 13 August 1929, Page 11

STORY OF MISFORTUNE.

EX-SOLDIER'S BANKRUPTCY*'

UNLUCKY FARM VENTURES. !

COSTLY "RAID" BY SPORTSMEN*

[BV TELEGRAPH. —OWN C'OfIRESFONDENT.J

WHANGAREI. Monday.

One of three soldier settlers who had t(>. walk off a block of land at Paihia, Bay oE Islands, Robert Coutls, faced an ad» journed meeting of his creditors ati Whangarei. The deputy official assignee,, Mr. A. L. Tressider, presided. Bankrupt's schedule disclosed liabilities of £250 14s 6d and no assets. The Government, did not claim ia respect of the mortgage* Bankrupt's statement set out that having been wounded in Franco in 1917 lit* secured his final discharge in tho same year and look up a section on money; advanced from the Crown. Hard struggles for a living resulted in failure and 12 months ago ho walked off the property., Ho had beer- forced into bankruptcy by his creditors, but misfortunes dogged him* Last year ho decided to farm turkeys and had reared a considerable number.

Returning after several days' absence ha was told by his wife that there had. bceu a good deal of shooting about. It was tho shooting season at the time. He was able to locate only 17 birds and many; of these had broken legs arid wings. Tho "sportsmen" had accounted for £BO worth* Tho last straw was a landslide which descended upon his two-roomed shack at. midnight. With his family lie escaped to spend the night in an adjoining hous« and returned next morninc; to find twu> feet of mud and water in the house. Couits was questioned very carefully; as to what assets lie had acquired sinca his bankruptcy. In answer to the assignee ho said ho had no interest in th« title of certain land, no mcmey of his own and was unable lo make any offer. Two creditors stated that bankrupt had made no effort to pay his debts and t.hafc his discharge ought to be opposed for that reason. Tho official assignee stated that them was no evidence before him that bankrupt had acquired any assets which would, enable him to meet his liabilities and he would recommend bankrupt's discharge-