Prohibited transfers to officers or stockholders. § 48. No corporation which shall have refused to pay any of its notes or other obligations, when due, in lawful money of the United States, nor any of its officers or directors, shall transfer any of its property to any of its officers, directors or stockholders, directly or indirectly, for the payment of any debt, or upon any other consideration than the full value of the property paid in cash. No conveyance, assignment or transfer of any property of any such corporation by it or by any officer, director or stockholder thereof, nor any payment made, judgment suffered, lien created or security given by it or by any officer, director or stockholder when the corporation is insolvent or its insolvency is imminent, with the intent of giving a preference to any particular creditor over other creditors of the corporation shall be valid, except that laborers' wages for services shall be preferred claims and be entitled to payment before any other creditors out of the corporation assets in excess of valid prior liens or incumbrances. No corporation formed under or subject to the banking, insurance or railroad law shall make any assignment in contemplation of insolvency. Every person receiving by means of any such prohibited act or deed any property of the corporation shall be bound to account therefor to its creditors or stockholders or other trustees. No stockholder of any such corporation shall make any transfer or assignment of his stock therein to any person in contemplation of its insolvency. Every transfer or assignment or other act done in violation of the foregoing provisions of this section shall be void. No conveyance, assignment or transfer of any property of a corporation formed under or subject to the banking law, exceeding in value one thousand dollars, shall be made by such corporation, or by any officer or director thereof, unless authorized by previous resolution of its board of directors, except promissory notes or other evidences of debt issued or received by the officers of the corporation in the transaction of its ordinary business and except payments in specie or other current money or in bank bills made by such officers. No such conveyance, assignment or transfer shall be void in the hands of a purchaser for a valuable consideration without notice. Every director or officer of a corporation who shall violate or be concerned in violating any provisions of this section, shall be personally liable to the creditors and stockholders of the corporation of which he shall be director or an officer to the full extent of any loss they may respectively sustain by such vio lation. Thus amended by chap. 354, Laws of 1901. See section 5 of the amendatory act as to its effect. See section 54, Stock Corporation Law, section 30 Railroad Law, chap. 392, Laws of 1875, section 8, Labor Law, chaps. 418 and 419, Laws of 1897, post. Section 49 repealed by chap. 354, Laws of 1901. Application to court to order issue of new in place of lost certificate of stock. § 50. The owner of a lost or destroyed certificate of stock, if the corporation shall refuse to issue a new certificate in place thereof, may apply to the supreme court, at any special term held in the district where he resides, or in which the principal business office of the corporation is located, for an order requiring the corporation to show cause why it should not be required to issue a new certificate in place of the one lost or destroyed. The application shall be by petition, duly verified by the owner, stating the name of the corporation, the number and date of the certificate, if known, or if it can be ascertained by the petitioner; the number of shares named therein, to whom issued, and as particular a statement of the circumstances attending such loss or destruction as the petitioner can give. Upon the presentation of the petition the court shall make an order requiring the corporation to show cause, at a time and place therein mentioned, why it should not issue a new certificate of stock in place of the one described in the petition. A copy of the petition and order shall be served on the president or other head of the corporation, or on the secretary or treasurer thereof, personally, at least ten days before the time for showing cause. Order of court upon such application. § 51. Upon the return of the order, with proof of due service thereof, the court shall, in a summary manner, and in such mode as it may deem advisable, inquire into the truth of the facts stated in the petition, and hear the proofs and allegations of the parties in regard thereto, and if satisfied that the petitioner is the lawful owner of the number of shares, or any part thereof, described in the petition, and that the certificate therefor has been lost or destroyed, and cannot after due diligence be found, and that no sufficient cause has been shown why a new certificate should not be issued, it shall make an order requiring the corporation, within such time as shall be therein designated, to issue and deliver to the petitioner a new certificate for the number of shares specified in the order, upon depositing such security, or filing a bond in such form and with such sureties as to the court shall appear sufficient to indemnify any person other than the petitioner who shall thereafter be found to be the lawful owner of the certificate lost or destroyed; but such provision requiring security to be deposited or bond filed is to be construed as excluding an application made by a domestic municipal corporation or by a public officer in behalf of such corporation; and the court may direct the publication of such notice, either before or after making such order as it shall deem proper. Any person claiming any rights under the certificates alleged to have been lost or destroyed shall have recourse to such indemnity, but in any application under the provisions of this act in which a domestic municipal corporation or a public officer in behalf of such corporation, shall be by the foregoing provisions of this section, excused from depositing security or filing a bond, such municipal corporation shall be liable for all damages that may be sustained by any person, in the same case and to the same extent as sureties to a bond or undertaking would have been, if such a bond or undertaking had been filed; and the corporation issuing such certificate, shall be discharged from all liability to such person upon compliance with such order; and obedience to the order may be enforced by attachment against the officer or officers of the corporation on proof of his or their refusal to comply with it. Thus amended by chap. 35, Laws of 1905. Financial statement to stockholders. § 52. Stockholders owning five per centum of the capital stock of any corporation other than a monied corporation, not exceeding one hundred thousand dollars, or three per centum where it exceeds one hundred thousand dollars, may make a written request to the treasurer or chief fiscal officer thereof, for a statement of its affairs, under oath, embracing a particular account of all its assets and liabilities, and the treasurer shall make such statement and deliver it to the person presenting the request within thirty days thereafter, and keep on file for twelve months thereafter a copy of such statement, which shall at all times during business hours be exhibited to any stockholder demanding an examination thereof; but the treasurer or such chief fiscal officer shall not be required to deliver more than one such statement in any one year. The supreme court, or any justice thereof, may upon application, for good cause shown, extend the time for making and delivering such certificate. For every neglect or refusal of the treasurer or other chief fiscal officer thereof to comply with the provisions of this section he shall forfeit and pay to the person making such request the sum of fifty dollars, and the further sum of ten dollars for every twenty-four hours thereafter until such statement shall be furnished. Stock books of foreign corporations. § 53. Every foreign stock corporation having an office for the transaction of business in this state, except moneyed and railroad corporations, shall keep therein a book to be known as a stock book, containing the names, alphabetically arranged, of all persons who are stockholders of the corporation, showing their places of residence, the number of shares of stock held by them respectively, the time when they respectively became the owners thereof, and the amount paid thereon. Such stock book shall be open daily, during business hours, for the inspection of its stockholders and judgment creditors, and any officer of the state authorized by law to investigate the affairs of any such corporation. If any such foreign stock corporation has in this state a transfer agent, whether such agent shall be a corporation or a natural person, such stock book may be deposited in the office of such agent and shall be open to inspection at all times during the usual hours of transacting business, to any stockholder, judgment creditor or officer of the state authorized by law to investigate the affairs of such corporation. For any refusal to allow such book to be inspected, such corporation and the officer or agent so refusing shall each forfeit the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars to be recovered by the person to whom such refusal was made. Thus amended by chap. 384, Laws of 1897. Liabilities of stockholders. § 54. Every holder of capital stock not fully paid, in any stock corporation, shall be personally liable to its creditors, to an amount equal to the amount unpaid on the stock held by him for debts of the corporation contracted while such stock was held by him. As to existing corporations the liability imposed by this section shall be in lieu of the liability imposed upon stockholders of any existing corporation, under any general or special law, (excepting laws relating to moneyed corporations, and corporations and associations for banking purposes,) on account of any indebtedness hereafter contracted or any stock hereafter issued; but nothing in this section contained shall create or increase any liability of stockholders of any existing corporation under any general or special law. The stockholders of every stock corporation shall jointly and severally be personally liable for all debts due and owing to any of its laborers, servants or employes other than contractors, for services performed by them for such corporation. Before such laborer, servant or employe shall charge such stockholder for such services, he shall give him notice in writing, |