£3000 CLAIM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 55, 7 March 1939, Page 10

£3000 CLAIM.

THIRD DAY'S HEARING.

THE FITNESS OF A BUS.

SERVICING ARRANGEMENTS.

Arrangements for the servicing of the vehicle concerned were explained in the evidence given by Frederick James Williams in the Supreme Court to-day in the third day's hearing of the claim made before Mr. Justice Callan and a jury by Mrs. Mary Ann White, of Kerikeri (Mr. W. C. Wylie), against the Northern Publishing Company, Ltd. (Mr. V. R. Meredith and Mr. R. K. Trimmer), for £3017 damages arising out of the death of plaintiff's husband from injury sustained while driving a passenger service bus at Waimate North on February 16 last year.

Witness stated that he was servicw manager for Fairhall Motors at Kaikohe, and his firm had an arrangement to do running repairs to the bus concerned, but for any major repair they had to have the authority of Mr. B. Crawford, who lived at Wliangarei but periodically visited Kaikohe. On an average the bus was in the firm's garage once a week for servicing. He had noticed that both rear brake drums on the bus were scored. He put the average life of the brake linings at IS.OOO to 20,000 miles, but would say that the life of the linings would be less than the average on this route.

On three occasions, said witness, he reported the state of the brake drums to Mr. B. Crawford. Towards the end of 3936 witness advised Mr. Crawford to have the brake drums replaced. He mentioned the matter twice later, once to Mr. B. Crawford, and later a- few weeks before the accident, to the driver, White, who rang up Mr. Crawford in witness' presence.

The shoe liningrs of the brakes were repaired about October before the accident, and the bus was then reasonably safe and fit. By the following February the external adjustments had been carried as far as they could be carried and the brakes were not then satisfactory. The speedometer record of the vehicle in January, 1938, was 36,733 miles, but the actual mileage travelled was 136,733 miles as the speedometer went back to the units after having recorded 100,000 miles. His firm never replaced or re-conditioned the brake drums.

The case is proceeding. How Experts Differed. To Mr. Meredith, the witness said that any repair within reason required by White was done by his firm. The bus was a 1935 model, and under the conditions in which the bus was worked, he would not be surprised to find the brake drums scored by Christmas, of 1935. He was aware the bus had been overhauled at Whangarei in January, 1937, and the account for that did not indicate any regrfhding of the brake drums. He noticed that new linings had been put in, and the brake drums were examined. He still maintained that the brake drums were scored in 1937 so as to require regrinding or replacement to get effective brakes. He adjusted the brakes on the bus before Christmas, 1937. and again in January. If the brake drums had not been reconditioned since the time he spoke of. said witness, the drums would still show score marks. lie would be surprised Jo know that not only Mr. Reynolds, of Whangarei. but also a Public Works official had passed the drums. The case is proceeding.