THE BANKRUPTCY OF DANIEL MAHONY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1188, 7 December 1894, Page 31

THE BANKRUPTCY OF DANIEL MAHONY.

A meeting of creditors in the estate of Daniel Mahony, architect, was held in the Official Assignee’s office on Monday morning. There were seven Creditors present, and Mr J. Ashcroft presided. Mr Campbell appeared for the debtor, and Mr Jardine for two of the creditors. The debtor, in his sworn statement, said that in the year 1883 he was employed by the Government, through the Colonial Architect, to superintend the erection of the Mount Cook Prison building at a salary of £5 5s per week, with a promise of an advance to £6 6s. This promise was not kept. The architect’s department was abolished in 1884, when his salary was reduced to £4 10s per week. During this year he was requested by Colonel Hume, to prepare plans for . the Wanganui Gaol, and the Government; instead of paying him a commission as promised, gavd him a sum Of Ms. ifi 1888, • acting under. instructions from Colonel Hume and Mr Fergus, Mififfiter for Justice, he prepared plans and specifications for the Dunedin Gaol and Police Station, the estimated cost of the buildings being <£33,000. On the com-pletion-of- the plans, the Minister promised to pay- the usual commission, but afterward refused to fulfil the agreement, and offered to him .£IOO, which he declined. The commission at the ordinary rate would amount to ,£999.. He was dismissed by the Government fbr making' this claim. He then brought an action against the Government for £825, being 2 a per cent, on the £333,000. A special jury awarded him J>4§si This verdict was set aside on the technical ground that as a Civil servant he could not claim compensation for work dbiife outside his ordinary employment. He then petitioned Parliament in 1890, and was awarded .£325, but of this sum he only : received .£lB7 12s 6d, the , Government re- j taining the balance fpr costs incurred. In; 1891 he. petitioned Parliament, and was awarded the. sum; of <£l37 7s .6(1,; the amount deducted the previous year.; In 1893. he petitioned Parliament again,? and; the'Committee recommended that he; should be paid" £l7O, which he only re-; ceived last October. In consequence of the money being .paid him in instalments, and in .every case some time after it being awarded, he had to borrow money at a high rate of interest to keep going on. In consequence of his monetary difficulties he had practically done nothing r in his profession* during the last two years; He had no offer' to make; ■ The total indebtedness was . set down at £584 6s 6d, and the assets—consisting of furniture valued atJßl4o,and cash in hand,£l3 —at £l4B, leaving a deficiency of £3916s 6d; The following are the principal creditors ; William Mitchell, £l7oEdmond Mahoney/ £140; trustees of Halse estate; £3l lOs } James Barry, £25; J. Nathan and Co., £lO 10s; E. Luxford, £lO 7s 6d; T. E> Richardson, £lO 15s; E. Grey, £10; H. Gilmer, £lO ; Blundell Bros., £9 ; j. H. Meyer, £9 ss; W. 11. Back, £8 10s; M. T. McGrath, £7 IBs ; M. Laing, £7 10s; G. Irons, £5 10s ; H. Edwards, £5; C. Galway, £5; Press Company (in liquidation), £6. , , The debtor, in answer to the Official Assignee, said that he distributed the £l7O which he received in October last among Various creditors. - The Official Assignee said it was an open question whether such payments could not be set down as preferential. 1 On the motion of Mr Jardine, seconded by Mr O’Sullivan (representing the Halse estate) it was decided that the debtor be given the whole of his furniture, and that . the Official Assignee be instructed to facilitate the debtor’s discharge. The meeting then adjourned to December 19th. r A meeting of the ' creditors of Hugh Downes, lighterman, was held on Friday forenoon, the Official Assignee presiding. It was explained that the liabilities amounted to £134, while the assets were practically nil. The debtor’s statement set out that during the gales of March last his cutter (the Spec) foundered in the harbour, and that most of his liabilities were incurred in raising and repairing her. The vessel was not insured. Subsequently he was burnt out in Day’s Bay and lost his horse. Then a friend, who owed him £7B, died in February last, and the debtor was unable to obtain payment of the amount. Under examination, Downes stated that the repairs to the vessel cost £6O. The house was insured for £3O, and this money he had expended in meeting various liabilities, amongst them £2O to the Commercial Trust and Loan Company. He was a widower. The Assignee said it was quite evident the man had been subjected to a series of misfortunes. “ A’ the airts that blaw” seemed to have blown upon him. The creditors acquiesced, and passed a resolution recommending the debtor’s immediate discharge. It was pointed out that one difficulty stood in the way—the claims of the wages men, unless they signed a release. This the wages men, who were present, at

oiice Undertook to do; The Assigned closed the mdetirig by remarking thUfc tile Wiig’es men had evidently read their Slictkesp'eare to some purpose. They recognised that “ Mercy is twice blest. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” There were five bankruptcies in this district last month as against three for November, 1893. The total number of bankruptcies for the eleven months of this year is 67, as against dnly 46 for the corresponding period of last year. The Official Assignee was at Otaki on Thursday and Friday last holding meetings of tti© creditors of Faitorolm Rikihana; Under exdniihatioii thd debtor said “My reason for getting into debt so heavily was through other people wild had a share of it; but I had to be responsible. Some of the debts were incurred over thd tangi that was held when my sister died.” A meeting of creditors in the estate of W. A. Blake, slaughterman, called for Tuesday afternoon, lapsed, as no creditor, was present. The debtor, in his written statement, attributed his bankruptcy to slackness of work and pressure by his creditors. He had been out of work since June. The total liabilities amounted to £7O 17s 7d, and the assets. consisted of furniture valued at £6. The principal creditors are: _J. Battersby, £lO 75,; D. Prouse, £lO 3s lOd; H. Damant, £6; H. Hall, £5 10s; M. Haggar, £5- Th© debtor, in answer to the Official Assignee, said half the debts were contracted over four, years ago. He worked only aboiit six months in the year, during which his average earnings were about 30s per . week. His earnings for the past four weeks were respectively 2s 9d, 18s, £2 and.. 10s. A meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of Charles Alfred Kendrick, labourer, Crofton, ivas to have beeii held at Feilding on Monday, but was adjourned. The list of creditors is as follows, as far as is known ; Liabilities Gorton and Son, Feilding; £BS 10s 4d ? Hogg and Brechin, Wanganui; £6 Is ; Ellis Bros, and Valder, Mini ter vine, £l 16s >; R. Kilpatrick, Ashurst, £5; J. S'. Milsbii; Feilding, £1 3s; Kirton and Curtis, 19s 6d / total, £IOO 8s lOd. ' ' . V