The Haslingden Gazette. — 1904-02-13 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

DIDN'T COME TO THE COURT UNTIL COMPELLED."  At Blackburn Bankruptcy Court on Wednesday, Harry Holden, of 103, Whalley-road, Accrington, carrying on business under the style of Holden and Whittaker, as a house furnisher and funeral undertaker, at 2 and 4, Whalley-road, Accrington, as an auctioneer and valuer at the Exchange and Mart," Accrington, and lately as a pianoforte dealer at Crawshaw's Hall, Accrington, and as a furniture manufacturer's agent in his own iaame in Man. cheater, appeared for further examination. According to the account submitted by Mr. J. Osborne Morris (Deputy Official Receiver) the gross liabilities were £1.872, of which £1,608 were expected to rank, while the assets amounted to £669, leaving a deficiency of £1.139. Mr. J. L. Whitaker (Htslingden) appeared on behalf of the truetee. and Mr. Smith (Burnley) represented the I debtor. , _  The- case had been adjourned to allow of the debtor furnishing certain accounts, and he now stated in reply to Mr. Whitaker that the information he had got in order to do so he had acquired from recollection, and also from notes found at his Manchester office. He produced a cash book, admitting that until that morning there had been no intimation to the trustee that there was such book in existence. His turnover at Accrington had been £2,200, on which the gross profits were from 23 to 333 pee cent—about £7OO. In addition he received £ll6 commission in connection with his Manchester business. Mr  Whitaker: Can you account for having treated your gross profits as £3OO in your deficiency account!—l cannot tell you why, Is  _ d the reason because ytiu have very eons siderahly under-estimated the amount of your per. renal household expenses?—l have under-estimated. I, £l2O a fair sum for that?—For household ex.  • Debio'r further said that out of the £2 per week for the household he had kept himself, wife, and two children and paid a servant's wages. In addition,ke had. paid a rent of £2.3 per annum.  The Registrar said he was anxious to ascertain where the £7OO had none, and debtor said that the profits all round would not amount to that with all expenses deducted. They would not be more than shout 15 per cent. As to his own pocket expenses, he had not spent more than 1. weekly. _ . . .  Debtor admitted that he knew after his late partner died that he was carrying on ins business at a  The Registrar: And you did not come to this Court until compelled!—No, sir. The Registrar: You cannot expect this Court to have any sympathy with a man who is forced into coming here. It is far more honourable for a man when he is in difficulty to come to the Court for that assistance which it is always plepared to give to one who honestly comes forward and declaree his true state of affairs. When a man continue, to trade as you have admitted, week by week, knowing that he is absolutely going wrong and has nothing in his pocket, he is trading dishonestly, and the Court has no sympathy with a man like that. Mr. Smith said that when the debtor consulted him he (Mr. Smith) at once did .vhat he thought was in the best inte'rests of the creditors.  The Registrar : But no doubt the debtor consulted you too late. He added that debtor bad tried to Voss over his affairs rather than come before the  -rift:Smith mid debtor had disclosed to him everything in connection with his receipts, though he hid not kept proper books of account. Mr. 'Whittaker: The accounts are ali,olutely unsatisfactory. and the only question is as to whether there is any material out of which any more accounts can be furnished.  The case wit, adjourned for further information bearing upon debtor's commission.  A leading butcher of Morecambe, John Carr Altham, has committed suicide by hanging. Great mortality among flocks in reported from Richmond, Yorkshire, the cause being unsolved.