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381

THE
NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
Published by Authority.

WELLINGTON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1870.

SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF INSPECTOR IN BANKRUPTCY.

To their Honors
The CHIEF JUSTICE and the JUDGES of the
SUPREME COURT of NEW ZEALAND.

THE Accountant in Bankruptcy begs respectfully to
lay before the Court his second Annual Report, ap-
plicable to the year ending 30th November, 1869.

The following notes are submitted as containing
the general results which have been deduced from
the information before the Accountant in Bank-
ruptcy.

The Accountant has again to regret that the
Returns furnished to him are not so complete as he
could have wished, but they exhibit a decided im-
provement on those of 1867-8.

Attached to this Report are five Appendices which
show:-

I. Return showing the trades or callings of adju-
dicated Bankrupts in the Colony of New
Zealand, for the years ending 30th day of
November, 1868, and the 30th day of Novem-
ber, 1869, in each Province or District; and
also showing the total of each trade or calling
for the same years.

II. Return showing the aggregate amount of
liabilities of adjudicated Bankrupts, the
maximum and minimum amount thereof, and
the relative limits of the amounts of the
same, for the period since the commencement
of "The Bankruptcy Act, 1867," to the 30th
day of November, 1869.

III. Return showing the number of Estates in
which funds have been realized, the number
of Estates in which no funds have been
realized, and the aggregate amount of assets
realized by Trustees in Estates of adjudicated
Bankrupts; the maximum and minimum
amounts so realized; the aggregate funds
remaining in the hands of Trustees, the maxi-
mum and minimum thereof, and the number
of Estates in which Dividends have been paid
or declared, since the commencement of "The
Bankruptcy Act, 1867," to the 30th Novem-
ber, 1869.

IV. Return showing the number of Estates of
adjudicated Bankrupts which have been ad-
ministered by the Provisional Trustee, the
number which have been administered by
Trustees elected by the Creditors, the number
in which Supervisors have been appointed,
and the number in which no Supervisors have
been appointed, from the commencement of
"The Bankruptcy Act, 1867," to the 30th
November, 1869.

V. Return showing the number of adjudicated
Bankrupts discharged since the commence-
ment of "The Bankruptcy Act, 1867," to
30th November, 1869; the number awaiting
discharge, the number whose discharge has
been suspended, the number changed from
Bankruptcy to Arrangement, and the number
lapsed or otherwise disposed of.

These Tables, especially I. and II., will show in
how far bankruptcy has extended to certain sections
of the community, in reference to whom special
legislation may be considered necessary. These
will no doubt be useful in the event of the Legisla-
ture deeming it necessary to amend the present
Bankruptcy Law.

Taking the Provinces in alphabetical order, it will
be seen that in Auckland bankruptcies have not
been common among the producing classes, but have
been chiefly confined to distributors and consumers.
Canterbury presents a contrast in this particular,
by including in her list of bankrupts a large number
of farmers and settlers; while Otago has also a con-
siderable number of miners who have sought relief
from your Honorable Court.

In Westland, North and South, more than one
half of the bankruptcies are of persons who belong
almost exclusively to the distributing class.

The bankruptcies in the other Provinces do not
present any very marked features.