"AT LOGGERHEADS"

Evening Star, Issue 19055, 25 September 1925, Page 6

"AT LOGGERHEADS"

SECRETARY AND COMPANY’S DIRECTORS

ORDER MADE FOR BOOKS

[Pun United Pnnss Association.]

DANNEVIRKE, September 25. An unusual case was hoard in the Magistrate’s Court, when the. Tamaki Dairy Company tho largest co-opera-tive factory in Southern Hawke’s Bay, proceeded , against Harris Thompson, secretary, asking for an order directing hyn to deliver up the books and correspondence of tho company, a,nd claiming £9O damages. plaintiffs alleged thta defendant was tho servant of the company. The directors were not satisfied with the first balance-sheet of last year’s operations, but wore quito satisfied that any mistakes made were honest ones. They made arrangements for another audit, and demanded tho books of tho company from defendant, whoso services are to terminate on September 50. When two directors and others went for the books Thompson declined to give them up, ordering the directors out of the office. It was alleged that later he threatened that if any of tho directors camo to lus office they would be thrown out.

Thompson declined to hand over tho books without a clearance, and his counsel claimed that ho was justified in his attitude, as ho was not tbo servant of the company, but a contractor, and as such had a lien on the books until paid for the work ho had performed and given a clearance. Everything was in order. The Magistrate said it appeared that defendant and tho company’s directors had got to loggerheads, but that was no reason why defendant should rofnso to hand over the books. Ho ordered the hoolcs to bo handed over, and assessed tho damages at £lO.