Supreme Court MOWER MOTOR NOT TESTED

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28866, 10 April 1959, Page 13

Supreme Court MOWER MOTOR NOT TESTED

Cross-Examination Of Engineer

Cross-examined on his criticism of the design and workmanship of the motor supplied by W. H. Price and Son, Ltd., for the Pyramid hydraulic mower, Christopher Evelyn Fenwick, a design engineer. admitted in the Supreme Court yesterday that he had not tested the motor under actual operating conditions. Giving evidence for Pyramid Machines, Ltd., which is claiming £55,623 damages from Price and Son, Ltd., Fenwick told Mr R. B. Shand that he carried out no pressure tests on the motor, and that his whole information had been based on calculations. He was cross-examined at length on his estimates of the required strength of bolts holding the end plates of the motor and his criticism of the efficiency of the oil seals and bearings. To answer many questions of a highly technical nature the witness had to make frequent calculations with a slide rule. It is alleged that the defendant company committed a breach of a contract to develop and manufacture the mower invented by the plaintiff company. Denying this allegation Price and Son, Ltd., has claimed either £33,227 or £49,827 in alternative counter claims. The hearing, which is before Mr Justice Adams, has now lasted for 21 days, and evidence has filled more than 600 foolscap pages.