G (1) 2
Fees.
5. The sums received for the Official Receiver's commission, and for possession fees amounted to $46,915.32, showing an increase of $15,451.10 over the previous year, notwithstanding that fewer petitions in bankruptcy and companies winding-up were filed. The substantial increase in fees is mainly accounted for by the fact that the Official Receiver acted as provisional liquidator in the case of the Bank of Canton Limited in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Hankow. On the re-organisation of the Bank of Canton Limited the cash and other assets under the control of the Official Receiver amounting to a total of $6,729,224.86 were handed back to the Bank. The assets of the estates in which dividends were distributed in 1936, were greater than the assets distributed in 1935.
Discharges.
6. Six discharges were granted during the year, three absolute, one subject to suspension for three months, and two subject to consent to judgment for $1,000.00. No applications for discharge were refused.
General.
7. During the year under review dividends were paid in twenty-seven cases, at the end of the year steps had already been taken towards the payment of dividends in three further cases. In only one of these thirty cases was the petition filed in the year 1936. In addition there were forty-three applications by the Official Receiver for his release from trusteeship, and sixty-six applications for destruction of books no longer required. During the year the arrears of undistributed dividends and final applications have been brought up to date.
8. There are ten cases in bankruptcy, in which bankrupt salaried employees pay instalments and it is customary to pay dividends on account as soon as the assets are sufficient to pay ten per cent.
COMPANIES BANKRUPTCY Year Petitions for winding-up Winding-up orders Total number of petitions Creditors' petitions Debtors' petitions Total Number of receiving orders Public examinations Adjudications Compositions 1936 3 2 13 12 1 14 6 1 1 1935 8 5 10 7 ... 7 11 ... ... LIQUIDATION Petitions withdrawn Petitions dismissed Petitions consolidated 6 0 2 1 5 9 0 2 2 Co I