Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1963-1964 — Page 39

Absconding Debtors

118. Three debtors absconded before Receiving Orders were made against them. In each case a warrant of arrest was obtained from the Court. Through the efforts of the Commercial Crime Office of the Police Department, two long-absconding debtors were arrested during the year. Both were prosecuted and sentenced as stated in paragraph 121.

Dividends Paid

119. Fourteen dividends were declared and distributed, ten in bank- ruptcies, and four in winding up.

Public Examinations and Court Work

120. Twelve Public Examinations were held. Altogether, legal officers of the Department appeared in Court and in Chambers on 83 occasions in connexion with bankruptcies and liquidations. This was the highest number of appearances in a year since records of these started being kept in 1958-59. In most cases little or no publicity was given in the local press to bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings.

Prosecutions

121. There were five prosecutions, all for bankruptcy offences. Details were as follows:

(a) A retailer of electrical appliances was prosecuted for failing to keep proper books of account, and sentenced to prison for four months;

(b) The sole proprietor of an import-export firm was prosecuted for having absconded in 1958 and for failing to disclose all his assets. He was convicted and fined $1,500.

(c) A firm of rice-wholesalers went bankrupt. Of the thirteen people stated to be partners of the firm, only three were available for questioning, and, all three were prosecuted in due course. One partner was charged with failure to account for the loss of a substantial part of the firm's assets, failure to preserve books of account, and parting with assets in order to defeat his creditors; he was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. The second partner was charged with failure to account for the loss of a substantial part of the firm's assets and was sentenced to three weeks' imprisonment. The third partner was charged with having absconded, having failed to preserve books of account, and having failed to account for the loss of a substantial part of the firm's assets; he was convicted on all three charges, but was

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