A METAPHYSICAL MEETING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4844, 27 August 1877, Page 2

A METAPHYSICAL MEETING.

His Honour Mfs Justice fWilliams latelyhad "a singular "case to deal with1 at Christchurchj and his judgment in it was as fel--lows :—ln tKis cisc,- at the/time when.~the 'first'meeting .otl-tKe'-creditora:of. .Thorns»» Andrews should havel>een:h4ldi-'Mr H. E. 'Alport atteuded witK™ prosits from, several .'.6redi£6rs.' Mr.^ppr^j^^rip^^a :creditor himself;: andjnp^otiier.ycreSitor other than, those represented .by Me Alporfc,was present personally or by proxy., Mr Alport, in the= name of one, creditor.whiSm' he represented, proposed, and in' the'nSme'bf^ another '<J^* ditor, seconded,.thaTthe third-creditor, also fepresented;by/,MrlAljfort f r ßhoiild j^ake ;^ie chair.:, -Mr Alp6rt',oien^ ,ai tliV napie'of one creditor, moved;■.:ana£iiniithe o f, ano. ther, seconded, that he (Mr Alport) should berippdinted trusteeMtlfe'jestatp, and should receive a-commission'.ofiiifiveriper cent., xmd then, as chairman, declared-T,Tiei resolution. carried. Under tbe'eircumstpnee?, I think, that the election of \Mr.:Alport as trusteewas void on tWgrpund that-there was no. meeting.' I-holii'th'afeal)bhoue[h credjtorSjCanL be tepre'sented-atl a mtfetmg ,by.prdxy, yet there cannot be said to be a^kieetmg. at all unless more than;pne.- individual is actuilly piesentin person. The rules, moreover, indicate 'that the meeting .is to be presided, over by a chairman...tin order; to carry out this .rule, thero must-be-: something- overwhich the chairman can -preside, a real meeting of persons;in the flesh, and not a mere metaphysical > assemblage of several persons in one sufeßtance7 -'■ As the chairmari. ihimaelf forini part of-themeeting, I dp not say that tKe chairmap: and another' might not constitute a. meetirigT-^I am -inclined to -think"they: would ;—but -one-person alone can not: No iriconvenieno need result from, view of ithe law,;Bince debtors or creditors can always take, care that a meeting la. properly constituted. I'"think, * therefore, that Mr Alpofb'sappbintmeut must be de- : dared void. .-,,.. ,-,-„...,

During the past.iwelve !lmbnths there have been 25alarmsof fire inChristchurch, 21 bemg in-buildinga," orieohirimey, on© gorse fence, one haystack. Eight buildii??fiaw^,*P tally i ndesteqyed.... None of the fires was oPa-Hery'important' !cbSr- _ James famith, many years chief clerk at Oobb and Oo.'s office, Chrietchurch, was found deadiiinj:tl»-r river on a morning lately. ,> It isjjpppoßed that he committed suicide.