ELTHAM COURT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 29 August 1928, Page 5

ELTHAM COURT.

FORTNIGHTLY SITTING. 5 At the Eltham Magistrate’s Court yesterday before Mr R. W.-Tate, S.M., judgment tor plaintiff by derahlt was given in the following underended civil .-ases: — .. it. E. Williams (Kaponga) v. Albert dea, £7 Is -id; C. A. Belcher, v. E. Fletcher, £l2 10s 9d. , W 0 ODCUTTER, NONSUITED. In a claim for £l4, balance of wages alleged to be due from P. Humphries on a stumping job at Rowan, dames caldwell was nonsuited with exists 15s. Plaintitt stated that he had been employed at lirewood cutting lor chamberlain, at Rowan, leaving the joo at teumphries’s request to assist the latter in a stumping contract. Humpliries agreed to pay him as much as others on the contract were receiving—£3 per week, tee worked for eight or ten weeks at cutting wood, and sawing post lengths, but charged teumphries for only seven weeks. The only wages lie received amounted to £7. On December 10 he left the job, as the other men had also left, and returned to Chamberlain’s employ. His record of work and time had been taken away iroin his camp. Defendant denied having askedi Caldwell to work for him; he volunteered at -10 s per day—not £3 a week—and continued in his employ uniiil defendant met with an, accident and had to enter hospital for twelve days. On his return to camp he found that Caldwell and the others had left the job. He paid Caldw’ell £7 for fourteen days’ work and had a contra account against the latter for £2 0s 3d for food supplied during stumping operations. He had a record of Caldw’ell’s time but could not produce it in court, haying left it in his camp. The Magistrate said that. in'the absence of documentary evidence the word of one man was as good as the other’s. It appeared to him that Caldwell was claiming for more than the defendant was getting out of the contract, and in the circumstances he could see nothing for it -but to nonsuit the plaintiff.