LAW AND ORDER
Companies
233 Companies were incorporated in 1954, 38 com- pleted winding-up, and were dissolved, and 36 were struck off the Register. At the end of the year there were 2,764 Companies on the Register.
During the year 34 Companies incorporated outside the Colony established places of business in the Colony, and 8 ceased to carry on business, leaving a total of 465 such Companies carrying on business in the Colony.
Official Receiver in Bankruptcy and
Companies Winding-up
In spite of the decline in the Colony's trade, only four bankruptcy petitions were presented in 1954, two of which were later withdrawn, and only one company, a bank, was ordered to be wound up by the Court. The Official Receiver's Office was however kept fully occupied with cases of considerable complication outstanding from previous years.
In recent years the tendency has been for creditors to vote for the appointment of the Official Receiver as Trustee or Liquidator, the Official Receiver being Trustee in 16 out of 20 bankruptcies still outstanding, and Liquidator in 8 out of the 13 outstanding compul- sory liquidations. One of the cases in hand necessitated the Official Receiver assuming the responsibility for the operation of a cinema for most of the year.
Trade Marks and Patents
The importance of the registration of trade marks for the protection of commercial rights and interests is being more generally appreciated as the rapid deve-
167