LEGAL FEES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 272, 30 August 1935, Page 7

LEGAL FEES

FARMERS URGE INVESTIGATION.

(Per Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 29. The last annual conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union rejected a North Taranaki remit urging an investigation by the Union of the charges for legal work with a view to obtaining a reduction. Reference was again made to the subject at the meeting of the Dominion Executive of the Union to-day when a letter from the North Taranaki Union was considered.

The letter pointed out that the suggestion behind the remit was that legal costs in connection with matters coming before the Mortgagors and Tenants Relief Court should be fixed by the Commission in each respective case. The reason for the suggestion was that at the present time it was felt that the scale set out under the Act was in many cases most inadequate to cover the legal work necessary for a case to be properly prepared and placed before the Commission with a result that private arrangements in regard to fees or a subsequent statement of accounts was the outcome. In some instances this appeared exorbitant, and it was thought that to overcome the difficulty the Commission should fix the charges when the case was being heard. The letter asked the executive to consider the question from this angle. .

Consideration of the matter was deferred until the October meeting of the executive.