FIRE POLICY UPHELD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 151, 29 June 1931, Page 8

FIRE POLICY UPHELD.

TE KUITI GRAND HOTEL CASE. JUDGMENT FOR WIDOW. ENTITLED TO RECEIVE £500. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) HAMILTON. thi s day. Judgment was given to-clav bv V• Justice Hmlrnan in the case in w i-.j..i Kdith Hal-ford, widow, of Te-Iyuiti, nieil the Xew Zealand Insurance Co. 1(1 for £500, said to be due under a police covering the furniture of . the OvaM Private Hotel, Te Kuiti, which wa« buiiit down on August 8 last. The effect of h>, Honor's decision is t<, aflirm plaintiff's right mider her.jjbliev _After briefly rcvii'v.-in- the j£ i(le; -; lisa .Honor explains tL.it the ierldng matter to (Ictcrmjia was whether plaj,'/ tin wae guilty oi fraud or of mak ' iH .,'"" Mse declaration In his Hone's -'opinfoii/ plaintifl over eetimatca the value;of the chattels dosi roved. '1 ] !e amount she was entitled to recover wa.s only £300 x»t only, was the valuation extravagant, bm she erroneously inehided in tlie (list of chattels a few articles of the value of £20 18/ that Hotel Company. inm-edJatoly- the dieovery was made, however, thii insurant company was notified of the mMako l» Mrs. Halfc.rd's solicitors. ' ■ His Honor .said lie was satisfied that in im-hidin- these articles an innocent mistake was made. _ The impression his Honor had from listening to the evidence was that after the iire Mr*. Halford was upset and in difficulty about compiling.a list''for all the records had been destroyed. What had given rise to suspicion in the ease was no doubt the fact that the fire synchronised with the termination of plaintiff's lease of the property. The circumstances surrounding the fire wore investigated by the coroner,-whose finding; wais of a negative character. There was insufficient evidence in his Honors opinion of intent to defraud. > In affirming plaintiffs' rights, under the policy, lr,s Honor said" if counsel agreed there was need to pursue litigation further, plaintiil would be entitled to costs. '. . ;