MISUSE OF THE TELEPHONE.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9272, 25 November 1895, Page 5

MISUSE OF THE TELEPHONE.

A case cf alleged misuse of the telephone occupied the Wellington Magistrate's Court on Saturday. Crab tree and Sana sued S. Luke and Sons, Limited, for £4 as damages for having falsely represented to Charles Lomax that plaiatiffe were speaking to him through the telephone, and that plaintiff* had not in stock "old iron rails," when, in fact, authorised employees of the defendants were speaking and uot the plaintiffs, and plaintiffs, as a fact, had old iron rails in stock; whereby plaintiila loat the benefit of an order which Lomax was about to give. Evidence was given by three wituesses that on ringing up Luke and Sons and asking if it was Crabtree aud Sons (both firms are ironfounders) an answer came in the affirmative. The defence was a general denial, although it was admitted that their office boy for a prank had once, in reply to the query, "Is that Crabtree and Sons?" replied "Yea." Mr Martin, S. M., gave judgment for plaintiff, with costs. In giviug judgment his Worship said, on the evidence he found that there had not been any personal abuse of the telephone by either of the Lukes; but be held that there had been a gross misuse of the instrument by some cf their employees, though he was not .prepared to say by whom. Crabtree and Sons , number was 224, and Luke and Sons' 234.