A QUESTION OF COSTS

Evening Star, Issue 14314, 12 March 1910, Page 11

A QUESTION OF COSTS

[Special to t,iz Star.] INVERCAPvGILL, March 11. A case of no little interest in loc;d legal circles came before-His Honor Mr Justico Williams at tho Supreme Court yesterday. Mr J. S. Neave moved that his bill of costs filed by the registrar in re the recent Wyndham civil case Mrs Dodds (Mr Neave) v. Henderson and Co. (Mr Lillicrap), in which judgment was given, with costs, for plaiutilf, be reviewed or sent back to the registrar for further consideration. The registrar had reduced the biU of costs from £34 6s 9d to £l4 10s 3d. The grounds of motion were that the registrar had acted upon an erroneous principle in regard to several "items, but particularly in regard to the item of £lO 10s for attendance at tho Wyndham Court, that item having been reduced to £3 3s. Mr Lillicrap complained of the excessive charges, particularly in regard to the £lO 10s item, and he contended that the registrar's reduction was by no means out of the way. Mr Ncavo maintained that his charge of £lO 10s was perfectly reasonable, particularly as tho case could and should have been held in Invercargill. He 'contended that the other items were likewise reasonI able. I His Honor decided against tho motion, ' except in regard to one item—that of the change of venuo —and lie'thought that Mr Neave should be allowed something more than £3 3s awarded by tbc registrar against his claim of £lO 10s. He did not thinkthat the bill should bo sent back to the registrar for review, but he thought that it would'be fair to add £2 2s to the £3 3s allowed by the registrar. He did not think that £5 5s was excessive. Anyway, • the case was a trifling ono. It meant a j reduction from £34 6s 9d to £l6 12s 3d.