SEQUEL TO AN EXHIBITION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 70, 22 March 1912, Page 7

SEQUEL TO AN EXHIBITION.

— s 4 CLAIM BY AN ASSISTANT SECRETARY [BX XBLBGBAPH— SPECIAL 10 THE POET.] CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. An echo of the Trades and Labour Council's' exhibition waa heard at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M., when Frederick Meyer, assistant secretary of the Exhibition Committee, sued the Trades and Labour Council for £73 7s lid, out-of-pocket expenses in connection with his duties, the items being as follows . — Office cleaning and assistance, £12 10s; general expenses, £2 16s 9d; meals for 175 days at 5s per day, £43 15s; stationery, £1 7s sd ; cab hire, £2 3s ; telegrams and stamps, £3 14s 9d; cartage, £1 16s; expenses of trip to Wellington, £4 13s; making a total of £73 7s lid. Mr. G. T. Weston appeared for the plaintiff and Mr. Hunter for the Trades and Labour Council. Mr. Weston, in sketching the facts of the case, 6aid that the plaintiff was claiming petty cash disbursements made by him as assistant secretary for the Trades and Labour Council's Exhibition Committee. Plaintiff had practically controlled the organisation of the Exhibition. Frederick Meyer, plaintiff, said that he had been appointed on 6th June, 1911, as assistant secretary of the Trades and Labour Council's Exhibition at a salary of £3 per week. He had been subject to the general committee and to the general secretary, Mr. Young. The Magistrate asked in what way details ac to his work was germane to plaintiff's claim, which included a large eiuu for meak for 175 days at 5s a day. Witness said that he was at the Exliibit ion almost daily from 7 in the morning till 10 or 10.30 at nighb. Air- Weston stated that witness's chum included expenses for lemonade supplied to the moving picture operator. lhe Magistrate : But there must be some limit to that sort of thing. Witness, continuing, stated that he had to "tip" those who assisted in various ways in the Exhibition. lt Th e Magistrate : I shouldn't call them tips. ' I should cay they were payments for services rendered. Tips are generally payments for services not rendered. Witness was croEs-examined by Mr. Hunter at some length. He stated that the cleaning: of the office had been left to Mr. .Whiting, Mr. Young, .and himself. His wife and daughter, had cleaned the office out at least five times. Thr charge for' meals included witness's meals, meals for his wife, and also for luncheon* to members of the executive supplied at times at the office. Witness did not know that without the Government subsidy there would have been no profit from the Exhibition or thafc the balance-sheet, with the Government subsidy, showed a profit of £575. Witness could not give an explanation for v shortage of £179 14s 7d fiom the sale of art union tickets. The case was ad>