MEETLY OF CREDITORS. Re. A. M'Gill.

Otago Witness, Issue 2331, 3 November 1898, Page 10

MEETLY OF CREDITORS. Re. A. M'Gill.

The first meeting of creditors in the estate of Andrew M'Gill, of Green Island, cattle dealer, which was to have been held on Monday, 24th ult., at the official assignee's office, lapsed for want of a quorum, the only creditor present being Mr Lethbridge, who represented Dalgety and Co. Mr Moore appeared for the .bankrupt. . - ' Bankrupt's statement showed "that his liabilities were £174 ss, due to unsecured creditors, and his aisets £16 Bs, being made up of stock-in-trade estimated to be worth £9 Ba, *nd ; book debts estimated to produce £7. j The following are the principal unsecured creditors: — Dalgety and Co., £70; A. Lee I Smith, £33; Farmers' Agency Company, £17; i Stronach Bros, and Morri3, £12 ]ss; Wn*. Townley (Peninsula), £12; J. M'Lean and t Sons' estate, £7; D. Mills, £5; C. Shale, £4. J A written statement lodged by bankrupt sefi forth that he had been engaged in business »a a cattle dealer at Green Island for a number of years, and had carried on business on a moderate scale. His difficulties commenced last winter, when he lost 11 cows by disease, their value being £'10. He thereafter purchased 35 cows, but in consequence of the deficiency of ! feed, through drought, he had to sell them aft | a loss of £2 10s each. He also had much sicki ness in his family, which caused him expense in medical attendance and otherwise. Through these causes his means, which had always been moderate, had become exhausted, and a largo indebtedness had been incurred. He was not able to meet his engagements, and as his creditors were pressing him he was obliged to seek the protection of the court. The bankrupt, on Ibeing examined on oath, said he had Ijept no books but the ledger handed in, and memoranda books of his stock dealings. He had no casii book, and no bank I book. Mr A. Lee Smith was guarantor to tho bank for him for £-10, and he was now a creditor to the bank for £26 10a for rent. In reply to Mr Lethbridge, bankrupt stated that at an informal meeting of his creditors at Dalgety and Co.'s about two months ago he put in a statement of assets and liabilities. He thought Mr Lee Smith, jun., had the statemsnt, which was similar to that put in now. It was not true that he had privately sold stock of the value of £60 to someone at Portobello during tho past 12 months. During tha-fc time he had not sold £5 worth of cattle that he hadl bought of Dalgety and Co. He did a little business for himself about five years ago, andl had £20 or £30 capital at his disposal. Ho then got 13s a. day from the Henley Co. and 15s a. day from Mr Lee Smith. He only got that on particular jobs. Could not say what his yearly takings were, and had no books to show them. Pressed by Mr Mooro, he said his earnings were £100 to £120 a year. The Assignee: In the absence of any statement of receipts and expenditure, you might have been making £500 for a\ight we can tell. In reply to Mr Lethbridge, bankrupt laid he had no offer to make his creditors. Mr Lethbridge was about to move that the assignee proceed to realise the estate, when Mr "Graham pointed out that there was no power to carry a resolution, there being no quorum present, and the meeting then terminated, with the understanding that the assignee would realise the estate.

The average person wears nearly 141b of clothing-. I)r Emile Benier, the French traveller, who lias just walked across the -A-ustraliatv Continent from Port Darwin, has added to his exptriences a rencotre with an Australian policeman.. The stranger learnt in one short minute that it is imperative for anyone to move on" when ordered to do so by the police, and that it is extremely injudicious to ask a constable ' for his number. The encounter occurred in front of the Melbourne Post Office, where the Frenchman was eagerly plying a number of working men with questions as to the conditions of labour, etc. When he refused tq move on he was arrested by Constable Thompson, Fortunately ha waa able to secure bail.

In order to induce the peasants from her European dominions to settle along the new Government railway in Siberia, Russia offers fares of 6s for 1200 miles, and about 15s for 4000 miles. "Water is now sterilised with ozone made by passing electric sparks through dry air by the Tindal process. The sparks are generated by a transformer. The ozonised air is then used to sterilise the water. The Tindal ozo»iser has been tried at Brut^ls for this purpose, anc! is to be installed at Paris; but father ozonisers will serve. The ozonised air is a very simple and powerful steriliser of drinking water.

— " Whisky biscuits " are sold in some of ihe New York bakeries in the vicinity of the public schools. They contain jelly saturated with alcohol. An eight-year-old boy ate fivo of them and became temporarily in-.ane. — The demand made by consumers for cheap soaps, which in many cases are sold at retail prices considerably below tho wliolesalo market price for a true soap, has given rise to the introduction of highly-watered soaps, caused to set hard by the addition, during manufacture, of sodic sulphate, which enables the manufacturer to make a so-called soap, often containing less than 20 per cent, of true soap.