WOMAN BANKRUPT.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1924, Page 8

WOMAN BANKRUPT.

BOARDING-HOUSE VENTURE. DEFICIENCY OF £3OS SHOWN, NO OFFER TO CREDITORS, ; A meeting of creditors in the estate of Lilian Jane Gardiner, boarding-house keeper, of Eltham, was held before the D.O.A. (Mr. J. S. S. Medley) at New Plymouth yesterday. A deficiency of £3OB 10s 3d was shown in bankrupt’s statement of assets and liabilities, and no offer was made to the creditors. Those present or represented at the meeting were: Mr. D. Clements (for Mesdames A. G. Clark, G. W. Peebles, S. E. Carson, G. Maslin, J. Peters, A. Cbrystal, J. Towers and Hallenstein Bros.) ; and Mr. T. B. Crump (for Mesdames Peddie and NiWPr. Bankrupt was also present, accompanied by her husband.

Bankrupt's financial statement showed that the total amount owing to unsecured creditors was £lB6 10s 3d, and £1475 10s to secured creditors, the estimated value of securities amounting to £l3OO. Assets were set down at £53 10s, being furniture in the hands of auctioneers and not sold. The deficiency was shown as £3OB 10s 3d.

The following is the list of unsecured creditors, all of whom are of Eltham, except where otherwise stated: R. Lewis £ll 14s Id; A. B. Gibson, New Plymouth, £1 12s; Les. Bluett, £7 4s; Smith and Caughey, Ltd., Auckland, £4 18s 3d; Farmers’ Co-op., £l2 12s; New Zealand Loan and Mercantile, Hawera, £5; G. W. Peebles, £27 16s Gd; Hallenstein Bros., Ltd., £5 3s kid; A. G. Clark, £3O 19s 9d; J. Towers, £5l (approximate) ; A. P. Jack and Co., £2 15s 2d; Gower Bros., £l6 (approximate); Huinga*Meat Company, Ltd., £6; Joseph Peters, £3 15s. ’ Total, £lB6 10s 3d. The secured creditors were: State Advances Office, £350; R. H. Phillips, care Malone and King, Stratford, £900; Mesdames Peddie and Nicol,, £225 10s. The total anfcunt of isecuritie® was estimated at £l3OO. QUESTION OF FURNITURE. Mr. Crump said that the auctioneer, Mr. H. H. Marchant, was instructed to sell some of the furniture to satisfy the claim of Mr. Stewart, who had a bill of sale over the furniture. After it had been sold there was about £4O to £3B left, and this amount was still in the hands of the auctioneers. Examined under oath, bankrupt said that the furniture sold under the instructions of Mr. Stewart to satisfy his claim did not realise the amount expected. It was a very poor sale. She stayed in the boarding-house a few days and then left. The property was purchased from Mesdames Peddie and Nicol, the purchase price being £l9OO, of which £2OO was paid in cash. It had been a losing concern all the time. Bankrupt said, she kept a boarders’ book but not a ledger and cash book, except in the early stages. Three servants were kept for about five months and then they were reduced to two. The wages were paid, but bankrupt could, not say exactly what her takings or , expenditure were. Custom was not regular, but the number of boarders would average out at a tout twelve for the whole time she had the boardinghouse, a period of about sixteen months, , The average takings amounted to about ’ £l3 to £l5 per week. Without the ] bills the rates and interest amounted , to £4 5s per week. (

VIEW OF CREDITORS. Following a lengthy discussion on the amount of furniture still held, Mr. Clements said that the feeling of the creditors was that this should have ;been sold. I During the course of the discussion I Mr. Clements stated that there was about £125 worth of furniture, which bankrupt’s husband claimed. Gardiner I said he was sure the furniture mentioned would not be worth more than about £5O. and he hardly thought it worth mentioning when he filed his own petition in bankruptcy. In any case he was of the opinion that if anyone was entitled to it, it was his own I creditors. I Questioned by Mr. Clements as to J whether a move had been made to purchase a house at Eltham. bankrupt denied ever having had any such intention. On behalf of his wife, Gardiner said they did look at a house, but nothing was done in the matter. Bankrupt could make no offer at all to the creditors. Both she and her husband had had a continual run of bad luck during the last four years, she added. There had been a lot of illness in the family, and at present their eldest boy was still in the hospital, being likely to be there for some time yet. Bankrupt sajd she had been seriously ill and extra servants had to be employed to do the work. The meeting was adjourned. Inquiries regarding the disputed furniture will be made.