Page:North Dakota Reports (vol. 1).pdf/477

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IN RE ARGUS PRINTING CO.
453

company’s charter or articles of association. A person is a shareholder, within the meaning of a provision of this description, if he holds shares on the books of the company, but not if he is merely the holder of the certificate. It has been held that the transferee on the books is eligible, although he is not the real owner of the shares, and the transfer was executed for the sole purpose of making him a director. A different rule might apply where the statute expressly requires the directors to be the owners of shares.” Id. § 506. .Had Spaulding appeared as a stockholder on the corporate books, he would have been qualified to hold the office of director, although the transfer had been made to him for the sole purpose of so qualifying him. As he did not so appear, he was not eligible to that office.

It was urged that as Faulkner subsequently to the issue of the stock had indorsed it in blank, and left it in the possession of Hill, that he (Faulkner) had ceased to be a stockholder, and therefore had no right to vote the stock or be a director. Under our statute providing that an unrecorded transfer of stock shall not be valid for any purpose except between the parties, we are clearly of the opinion, as we have already stated in another connection, that until a transfer should be made on the books Faulkner would continue to be a stockholder, for the purpose of voting the stock or of being eligible to the office of director. People v. Robinson, 64 Cal. 373; 1 Pac. Rep. 156; State v. Pettineli, 10 Nev. 141; 1 Mor. Priv. Corp. § 483; State v. Ferris, 42 Conn. 560. There are certain findings of fact which we are unable to discover any evidence in the record to sustain. The view the trial court took of the law may, however, explain why they are embodied in the case. The court finds that Hill, in electing directors, was not to put in men unsatisfactory to Edwards. Mr. Faulkner, on cross-examination by Mr. Edwards himself, stated that Edwards said to Hill that Hill was to have a majority of the directors. Mr. Edwards then remarked: “Satisfactory to me, of course?” To this the answer was: “He was to pick his own men.” This is all the evidence on the point. Mr. Edwards did not testify in the case. It is true that the record seems to show that Hill was not to put in men who were enemies of Edwards, but this will not justify a finding that the majority of the di-