BANKRUPTCY COURT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XL, Issue 9192, 21 September 1891, Page 2

BANKRUPTCY COURT.

Friday, September 18.— Before R. G. Banchope, D.O.A. , GBOBQE STOCKMAN'S SfATKMEHT. • Tiik foM<vvinjr i> ilio written statement Imudou iuio tae D.O.A. by Georgo Stockman, and referred fo by him in his private depositions published on Saturday last :— .- I .have been engaged for 17- years in negotiations concerning the acquisition of interests in native lands lying on the north bank of the Mok»u river. The transactions began with Mr F. U. Gledhill in the latter part of 1874. Efforts were made to get the title ascertained, but were rendered futile by_ the opposition of persons interested in the-south bank, after a conBiderable sum of money had been expended. Mr E. Hopkinson then made me advances, oh the whole amounting to some £500 or £600, during the next two or three years, and an applicatioiuwas put into the Native Land Court in respect of the north bank land, but through 'the influence of Wetcre te Rerenga, and the same opposition as before, the application was again thrown out. Mr Hopkinson's funds gave out at this Btage, and in 1884 or 1885 I made a new arrangement with Nevil S. Walker on behalf of himself and an Auckland syndicate to get the land passed through the Court as soon as practicable, receiving for my services the Bum of £2000 in cash 'and £3000 in shares immediately tppn completion of a title and floating of a company to take up the land. In 1887 the land was put through the Court, and I made application, as well as VValker. under the 24th and 25th sections of the Act of 1886, to complete the title. Messrs Owen and -the Mokau Coal Company (Limited) putinopposingapplications. Certificates were granted to Walker, which subsequently appeared to be of doubtful validity. During the sessions of Parliament of 1888-89, efforts were made to complete the title, but were successfully opposed. Shortly afterwards Walker died, and-' the Auckland syndicates have taken no step to carry out their agreement with me, and have, I believe, abandoned the whole affeir. In June, 1890, Messrs Owen made an arrangement with me for the acquisition of interests on the north bank in the Mapgapapa and Manga Awakino Blocks, which I relied upon for giving me means to pay my creditors. Tho terms of this agreement, however, on further examination^ give me no kind of prospect of receiving now, or at any future date, a remuneration available for this purpose. No step has beon taken for more than a year by the other parties to the agreement to bring tho matter • to a close ; but, on the contrary, serious opposition to carrying it out has been raised through the ill-advised action of Messrs Owen in Parliament ; and I see no chance whatever of any interest being acquired in the north bank through the co operation of Messrs Owen. Three judgments have been obtained against me, on one of which a distress warrant has issued. Under these circumstances I have been reluctantly compelled to file my petition. I have one-eight interest in an uncompleted lease of the Mangoira Block, which I am prepared to do my utmost to make available for my creditors, as well as to throw in for their benefit my interests in certain freehold blocks shown in my schedule, which would not in the ordinary couise form part of my estate. It will be seen at once that for seventeen years my debts have been accumulating whilst these futile negotiations havo been carried on, and that, in justice to my creditors, 'any further accumulation was out of the question.

At the " capping " ceremony at the N.Z. University in Dunedin the other day, while Sir Robert Stout was speaking considerable amusement was caused by the fact that at frequeut intervals one of the studerts " made up " to represent Father Time, and who was armed with- a sickle, rose from his seat, and turned a model on a large scale of aaand-glaBS, at the same time bestowing piteously appealing looks upon the speaker, who on one occasion joined in the laughter that was occasioned, and remarked that ho would not say much more. A pattern ef the Kharkeo uniform, which the volunteers will be clothed in from the beginning of next year, has beon received by Lieut. Oicey. The uniform is brown in color, with maroon stripe down the trousers, and on the collar and sleeves of the tunic. There are also white braid trimmings. The uniform hat IB a soft one of the name material, and is turned up at one side like the head gear worn by the Italian infantry. Altogether the uniform ii an exceedingly pretty, and, moreover, serviceable one, and will be found to be a great improvement on tha old one. Foi the four weeks ended September 12 the quantity of butter Bhipped from the breakwater was 26 tons4cwts. lqr. 111 b. Mr T. P. Moody, OE , who has for some time back been exploring the Bay of Islands Coal Company's land'at Hikurangi, reports that alread he has data showing there is 'sufficient coal on this particular land to supply 200 tons per diem for sixty years. With their usual enterprise, says tho Wanganui Herv'd, Messrs Dobson and Kennedy have engaged Mr Charles Palmer, Dutch character impersonator, who will appear in his celebrated interpretation of Tony Faußt in ".My Sweetheart" supported by the full strength of the company ; while the other pieces added to the repertoire in which Mr Palmer will also appear are, "Rip Van Winkle" and "Struck Oil." Tho dates already arrangod for the Company's tour are as follows : — Waverley, 30th September; Patea, list October j Haw era 2nd and 3rd ; Manaia, sth ; Opunake, 6thS 7tb, and 3th ! Normanby, 12th ; Stratford, 13th; Inglewood, 14th; and New Plymouth 15th, 16th, 19th, and 20th October. From Now Plymouth the Company play back to I Wanganui. Mr J. E. Kethorick, agent in advance, is at present working his way up the coast, performing all necessary arrangements. A Canterbury man who has visited Taranaki writes of the horses here :— • " I always understood that the horses of the North Island were better than thoße of the South, but I really feel sorry for the people here when I Bee tho samples of horse which they are compelled to beßtraddle, and upon my word, I feel sorrier for the horses. If nine-tenths of the horseß here could only grow long ears one would not be able to distinguish them from donkoyß I There wore, peihaps, half-a-dozen respectable-looking horses out of seventy offered for sale. Miserable half-starved weeds were tho order of the day. It is astonishing, though, how tough they are. It's the commonest thing to see a man of twelve stone in> weight on top of a thing perhaps as many hands in height, and plodding through mud a foot deep, seemingly as comfortably as a lark with a broken wing." The Church parade on Sunday, wis attended by the Band, under Bandmaster Garry ; the Rifles Company, under Lieutf . ! Okey, and Cock ; and the Fire Brigade, under Captain Maher. Major Ellis was in command. Tho Companies murched from the reclaimed Jand to St. Mary's Church, the Band playing, " Safe in the Arms of Jobus." The Rev. A. English, preached a Bermon for the occasion . On returning the Band played a march. Mind you get Wolfe's Schnapps,