LOAN TO MINERS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 54, 7 March 1929, Page 5

LOAN TO MINERS

A VALID RESOLUTION . (From "Th» Port's" R«pr«itntttlv».) LONDON, 24th December. , Mr. Justice Bonier, in. the Chancery Division, gave judgment in the' case of Cotter and others v. the National Union of Seamen. ■-. •, ■• • • /;' i The case was one in which plaintiffs sought to restrain Mr. J. Havelock Wil- i son, general president of the National Union of Seamen, and' other..' officials from'acting on resolutions authorising a loan •qf fiIOjOOO to the -miners 1 nonpolitical movement and iconfirming the suspension of. some of the plaintiffs. He. found that the union was a definite unity, which might sue in its'registered name, that a majority or the meeting could bind the minority in matters not ultra vires to the uuion, and that they could, pass resolutions in 'the terms of the £.10,000: resolution..lt, was not open' to the plaintiffs to restrain the union from acting on the £10,000 resolution, of Ist August, however that; meeting might, have been summoned or conducted, nor could the plaintiffs obtain any relief in respect of the suspension resolution. Their remedy would be in'damages, and no damages wore asked for. " - It was suggested-that the agenda of tho special meeting did not give, notico thatjit was proposed to discuss the loan to the miners. Ho could hot hold tljqt it was bad in law if the special meeting passed anything not beforo the executive,-but -the ■ £10,000 proposal was beforo.it. ■".. '. ' ' , ' .■ He found the resolutions binding on tho members, and he should be sorry to find otherwise, for that would say that the annual general meeting for. years past had been wrongly constituted. The action must be dismissed. ' .