202 



CONGRESS. (UNIFORM SYSTEM OF BANKRUPTCY.) 



as shall be approved by such courts, conditioned for 

 the faithful performance of their official duties. 



"6. Trustees before entering upon the performance 

 of their official duties, and within ten days after 

 their appointment, or within such further time, not 

 to exceed five days, as the court may permit, shall 

 respectively qualify by entering into bond to the 

 I'nited States, with such sureties as shall be ap- 

 proved by the courts, conditioned for the faithful 

 performance of their official duties. 



" e. The creditors of a bankrupt estate, at their first 

 meeting after the adjudication, or after a vacancy 

 has occurred in the office of trustee, or after an 

 estate has been reopened, or after a composition has 

 been set aside or a discharge revoked, if there is a 

 vacancy in the office of trustee, shall fix the amount 

 of the bond of the trustee ; they may at any time 

 increase the amount of the bond. If the creditors 

 do not fix the amount of the bond of the trustees as 

 licivin provided the court shall do so. 



" d. The court shall require evidence as to the 

 actual value of the property of sureties. 



" e. There shall be at least two sureties upon each 

 bond. 



"/. The actual value of the property of the sure- 

 ties, over and above their liabilities and exemptions 

 on each bond, shall equal at least the amount of 

 such bond. 



" g. Corporations organized for the purpose of 

 becoming sureties upon bonds, or authorized by 

 law to do so, may be accepted as sureties upon the 

 bonds of referees and trustees whenever the courts 

 are satisfied that the rights of all parties in interest 

 will be thereby amply protected. 



" A. Bonds of referees, trustees, and designated 

 depositories shall be filed of record in the office of 

 the clerk of the court and may be sued upon in the 

 name of the United States for the use of any per- 

 son injured by a breach of their conditions. 



" '. Trustees shall not be liable, personally or on 

 their bonds, to the United States for any penalties 

 or forfeitures incurred by the bankrupts under this 

 act of whose estates they are respectively trustees. 



"/. Joint trustees may give joint or several bonds. 



" k. If any referee or trustee shall fail to give 

 bond as herein provided and within the time limited, 

 he shall be deemed to have declined his appoint- 

 ment, and such failure shall create a vacancy in his 

 office. 



" I. Suits upon referees' bonds shall not be brought 

 subsequent to two years after the alleged breach of 

 the bond. 



" m. Suits upon trustees' bonds shall not be 

 brought subsequent to two years after the estate 

 has been closed. 



"Snc. 51. Duties of clerks. a. Clerks shall re- 

 spectively (1) account for, as for other fees received 

 by them, the clerk's fee paid in each case and such 

 other fees as may be received for certified copies of 

 records which may be prepared for persons other 

 than officers; (2) collect the fees of the clerk, ref- 

 eree, and trustee in each case instituted before filing 

 the petition, except the petition of a proposed vol- 

 untary bankrupt which is accompanied by an affi- 

 davit stating that the petitioner is without, and can 

 not obtain, the money with which to pay such fees; 

 (3) deliver to the referees upon application all papers 

 which may bo referred to them, or, if the offices of 

 such referees are not in the same cities or towns as 

 the offices of such clerks, transmit such papers by 

 mail, and in like manner return pn|K-rs which were 

 received from such referees after they have been 

 uaed; (4) and within ten days after each case has 

 been closed pay to the referee, if the case was re- 

 ferred, the fee collected for him. and to the trustee 

 the fee collected for him at the time of filing the 

 petition. 



" SEC. 52. Compensation of clerks and marshals. 

 a. Clerks shall respectively receive as full compensa- 

 tion for their service to each estate a filing fee of 

 $10, except when a fee is not required from a vol- 

 untary bankrupt. 



" b. Marshals shall respectively receive from the 

 estate where an adjudication in bankruptcy is made, 

 except as herein otherwise provided, for the per- 

 formance of their services in proceedings in bank- 

 ruptcy, the same fees, and account for them in the 

 same way, as they are entitled to receive for the 

 performance of the same or similar services in other 

 cases in accordance with laws now in force, or such 

 as may be hereafter enacted, fixing the compensa- 

 tion of marshals. 



"SEC. 53. Duties of Attorney-General. a. The 

 Attorney-General shall annually lay before Con- 

 gress statistical tables showing for the whole coun- 

 try, and by States, the number of cases during the 

 year of voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy ; the 

 amount of the property of the estates : the dividends 

 paid and the expenses of administering such estates ; 

 and such other like information as he may deem 

 important. 



" SEC. 54. Statistics of bankruptcy proceedings. 

 a. Officers shall furnish in writing and transmit by 

 mail such information as is within their knowledge, 

 and as may be shown by the records and papers in 

 their possession, to the Attorney-General, for statis- 

 tical purposes, within ten days after being requested 

 by him to do so." 



" CHAPTER VI. CREDITORS. 



" SEC. 55. Meetings of creditors. o. The court 

 shall cause the first meeting of the creditors of a 

 bankrupt to be held, not less than ten nor more 

 than thirty days after the adjudication, at the 

 county seat of the county in which the bankrupt 

 has had his principal place of business, resided, or 

 had his domicile ; or if that place would be mani- 

 festly inconvenient as a place of meeting for the 

 parties in interest, or if the bankrupt is one who 

 does not do business, reside, or have his domicile 

 within the United States, the court shall fix a place 

 for the meeting which is the most convenient for 

 parties in interest. If such meeting should by any 

 mischance not be held within such time, the court 

 shall fix the date, as soon as may be thereafter, 

 when it shall be held. 



" b. At the first meeting of creditors the judge or 

 referee shall preside, and, before proceeding with 

 the other business, may allow or disallow the claims 

 of creditors there presented, and may publicly ex- 

 amine the bankrupt or cause him to be examined 

 at the instance of any creditor. 



" c. The creditors shall at each meeting take such 

 steps as may be pertinent and necessary for the j r<;- 

 motion of the best interests of the estate and the 

 enforcement of this act. 



"d. A meeting of creditors, subsequent to the 

 first one, may be held at any time and place when 

 all of the creditors who have secured the allowance 

 of their claims sign a written consent to hold a 

 meeting at such time and place. 



" e. The court shall call a meeting of creditors 

 whenever one fourth or more in number of those 

 who have proved their claims shall file a written 

 request to that effect ; if such request is signed by 

 a majority of such creditors, which number repre- 

 sents a majority in amount of such claims, and 

 contains a request for such meeting to be held at a 

 designated place, the court shall call such meeting 

 at such place within thirty days after the date of 

 the filing of the request. 



"/. Whenever the affairs of the estate are ready 

 to be closed a final meeting of creditors shall be 

 ordered. 



