§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give a statement of the financial position of the Gweedore Quarry Company and the Beleek Felspar Mining Company; can he say what price Lawrence Wilfred Carder, an undischarged bankrupt, got from the Gweedore Quarry Company for the Beleek Felspar Mining Company; when was the latter company registered and in whose name; and what was the capital of it?
Mr. BUXTONI have no means of ascertaining the financial position of either of the companies named in the question. The Gweedore Quarry Company, Limited, is a private company, and is under no obligation to file a statement in the form of a balance sheet, and the Beleek Felspar Mining Company is not registered under the Companies Acts. The price payable by the Gweedore Quarry Company, Limited, for the business carried on by Carder, under the name of the Beleek Felspar Mining Company was, according to an agreement of the 17th December, 1912, on the file of the former company, 2,495 fully-paid shares of £1 each in that company.
§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the. President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that Lawrence Wilfred Carder, an undischarged bankrupt and late managing director of the Irish Industrial Mineral Company, now in liquidation, registered on 16th December, 1912, by means of money supplied by Messrs. Livesey, of Liverpool, a company called the Gweedore (County Donegal) Quarry Company, and that he appointed the Messrs. Livesey as directors with himself as managing director for life; whether the Messrs. Livesey, finding that the capital was vanishing, repeatedly asked Carder to produce a statement of accounts and to hold a directors' meeting, but could not get him to do either; whether, as a result., they instituted an action in the High Court before Mr. Justice Warrington on 5th and 6th June, and that Carder was ordered 1874W to refund, or to give substantial guarantee to refund, within fourteen days to the Messrs. Livesey the money advanced by them for the registration of the Gweedore Quarry Company; whether he is aware that the guarantee given by Carder was the Liverpool branch of the Manchester, Liverpool, and District Bank; can he state the security given by Carder to this bank; and whether he disclosed to the bank the fact that he was an undischarged bankrupt?
Mr. BUXTONI would refer the hon. Member to my answer of the 16th June on this subject, which gives all the information at the disposal of the Board of Trade on the matters dealt with in the question.
§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the President of the Board of Trade whether Lawrence Wilfred Carder, an undischarged bankrupt and late managing.director of the Irish Industrial Mineral Company, now in liquidation, recently registered any new company for the purpose of working the several leases owned by that company, and, if so, what is the name of the company and the capital of it; whether he is aware that Carder gave to a firm of Dublin solicitors who are acting for some of the landlords a statement as to the capital of this new company in order to induce them to release their leases to him; whether he has given, as directors of this new company, the names of Mr. Francis Hyndman, F.C.S., barrister, and Mr. Ryder Weller, Bank of Athlone, London; whether Carder informed these gentlemen that he is an undischarged bankrupt; and can he give the address of the Bank of Athlone, London?
Mr. BUXTONThe Board of Trade have no knowledge of the matters referred to in the hon. Member's question, and unless he can furnish me with the name of the company to which he refers, I regret that. I am unable to furnish him with the information. I have no information as to the address of the Bank of Athlone.
§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the Attorney-General whether his attention has been called to the fact that Lawrence Wilfred Carder, an undischarged bankrupt, late managing director of the Irish Industrial Mineral Company, now in liquidation, got an option under the name of the Gweedore Quarry Company to purchase from the receiver the whole assets of the Irish Industrial Mineral Company for the sum of £5,500; whether he is aware that 1875W Carder pledged this option with the Liverpool branch of the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank for the purpose of raising the £5,500; whether Carder had obtained the consent of the landlords of the several properties belonging to the Irish Industrial Mineral Company to the transfer of their leases to him; and, if not, what steps does he propose to take to compel Carder to act within the law?
Mr. BUXTONMy right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I have no knowledge of the matters referred to by the hon. Member, and I am, therefore, unable to furnish the information asked for.