Decision reserved on damage claim

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 11

Decision reserved on damage claim

Decision was reserved by Mr a Justice Somers in the Supreme 1 Court yesterday on claims for damages of more than 838,000 < arising from a tussock fire in the Hakataramea Valley, South Canterbury, in June, 1972, which spread over 8500 acres of farmland: • The case was begun in the 2 Supreme Court in Timaru ini ■ early March, and the hearing) was resumed in Christchurch on. , Wednesday. The owners of Hakataramea j Station, the Mount Fortune Pas- . i toral Company. Ltd, claimed! : damages of $30,700.34 from Wil-1 liam Peter Nehoff., a north Otago ' agricultural contractor, and Ne-I ' hoff Cultivation, Ltd. In a second action, the Attor-I ney-General, sueing on behalf? • of the Lands and Survey Depart-j i inent, owners of the Highland; 1 [Farm Settlement, claimed dam-! 2 ages of $7349.64 from Mr Nehoff,; [Nehoff Cultivation. Ltd, and the? i Mount Fortune Pastoral Company' I 1 Ltd, bn whose land the fire 1 ■i burned. •I Messrs W. M. Wilson and G. D.

Mackay appeared for the. Mount Fortune Pastoral Company, Ltd. Messrs M. M. Mitchell and M. R. D. Guest for Mr Nehoff and Nehoff Cultivation, Ltd. and Mr J. C. Upton for the Attorney-General. COLT DISPUTE Mr Justice Casey reserved his decision yesterday on a claim ; by Allan Bede Holmes, a farmer, jof Y aidhurst, for $5OOO from ‘Algar Hamilton Burgess, a workman, for the cost of a colt ! allegedly purchased by Mr Bur|gess at standard-bred yearling i sales in Christchurch last year. ■ Mr Holmes also claims $991.50 I from Mr Burgess for the . care of j the horse since it was returned Ito Mr Holmes after payment on la cheque for 85000 was stopped. I Mr Burgess has counter-claimed : for general damages of $5OOO {from Mr Holmes, plus special ; damages. Mr Burgess alleged that ! the horse had a deformity of the .| left nostril. ! Messrs R. A. and W. G. G. A. 'Young appeared for Mr Holmes Land Mr C. B. Atkinson for Mr Burgess. The case began on Wednesday