§ MR. THOMAS HENRY BOLTON (St. Pancras, N.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether it is a fact, as stated in a Law Report in The Times newspaper of 8th November last, that the costs of an accountant for acting as provisional liquidator in the winding-up of the London Provident Building Society amounted to only £40, whereas if the Official Receiver in Bankruptcy had been appointed the expense would have amounted to £426; and, if so, whether he Will consider the propriety of cutting down the Official Receiver's charges in such matters?
§ MR. MUNDELLAI am unable to state, without further information than is supplied in The Times report, what would have been the fees payable in respect of the Official Receiver's services had the Loudon Provident Building Society been wound up by the Court under the provisions of the Companies (Winding-up) Act, 1890. But the statement in question appears to be entirely misleading, as there is no analogy between the ditties of the Official Receiver as provisional liquidator on the making of a compulsory winding-up order, and those of the accountant referred to, who was allowed a sum of £40 19s. In respect of services of an interim character extending over five days from the 10th to the 15th of October last. The duties of the Official Receiver extend over the whole liquidation. It rests with him not only to protect the assets, to obtain the statement 235 of affairs, to summon the meetings of creditors and contributories, and to obtain the directions of the Court thereon, but also to investigate the manner in which the company was formed and carried on, to conduct the public examination of directors and officers who may be ordered to be examined by the Court, and to take further proceedings thereon, if it should appear that any fraud or criminal offence has been committed.