WOMAN CONFECTIONER.

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19123, 7 December 1933, Page 6

WOMAN CONFECTIONER.

BANKRUPTCY DISCHARGE

SUSPENDED FOR A YEAR. CREDITOR'S OPPOSITION. Following on opposition from a petitioning creditor and adverse comment by the Official Assignee (Mr V. R. Crowhurst), Mr Justice Herdman, in the Supreme Court, Hamilton, today suspended a discharge from bankruptcy for twelve months in the case of Kathleen Alexandra Missen, confectioner, of Hamilton. After perusing the documents, His Honour remarked to Mr W. H. Adams, who appeared for bankrupt, that the bankruptcy appeared to be a most unsatisfactory one. Mr Adams: I suggest, sir, it Is not as bad as it looks. His Honour: She seems to have had financial transactions with this man Dunn in buying and selling sweet shop ■establishments. Mr Adams considered the facts were greatly against bankrupt. Most ill-advisedly she paid £6OO for a business to her husband early in 1930. She raised £2OO on a bill-of-sale and took over liabilities totalling £4OO. His Honour: What did he do with the money? Mr Adams: Some differences arose between them.

Arrears of Rent. Mr W. Tudhope, for the petitioning creditor, Hamilton Theatres, Ltd., stated that bankrupt rented a shop owned by his clients in the Theatre Royal building. When they raised the rent- she refused to pay it and his clients gave her notice to quit. She left leaving £3B arrears of rent. Bankrupt had led Hamilton Theatres to believe that she had £l5O worth of stock not covered by a bill-of-sale but at her examinaton she said she had only from £lO to £ls worth. His Honour: Who is Dunn? Counsel replied that Dunn assisted her financially. She was now managing four confectionery shops for him at a wage of £3 per week. Her books of account had shown nothing and she really had no record of her business transactions. All the creditors with the exception of his clients were sweet firms and they were all receiving preference because they were now supplying Dunn, for whom bankrupt was •manager. His clients were being made to suffer. , No Proper Books, In reply to His Honour, the Official Assignee agreed that the bankruptcy was very unsatisfactory. It was clear that Mrs Missen had failed to keep proper books. His Honour: She has committed an offence, hasn’t she? •Mr Crowhurst: One is reluctant to act as bankrupt is a woman. His Honour: It makes no difference whether a woman or a man is concerned. You suggest that the discharge be suspended? Mr Crowhurst: I do, sir. Mr Tudhope opposed the granting of the discharge entirely. His Honour suspended the discharge for 12 months.