THE NORMANBY CASE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 22 June 1923, Page 4

THE NORMANBY CASE.

. « . '- COMPANIES SHARE COSTS. DECISION OF N.D.A. At the annual conference of «];e N- - tional JLfcxuy Association, held «v Puimerston lNorth, it was unanimously decided to pay £!W0 of the costs ol tiie litigation incurixxl by the JNormanby J>au*y Company recently in fighting a, case of great importance to the dairying industry. The case referred to was one in which the higher Court had decided that a •company could not compel a shareholder to take up shares when that shareholder refused to do so. '■ The chairman (Mr A. Morton), in bringing the matter up, pointed out | that the Normanhy company had ■ fought the case in the interests of 1 the dairying industry as a whole. He asked whether it was not a fair tiling that the industry as a whole should not contribute, towards the costs incurred. The company had been fighting for a principle which they all knew would have to be defended some day, and it was only through the Normanby Company that the matter had been settled. The industry would now have to be put on a sounder basis in that particular connection. . M,r J. B. Murdoch (Hawera) then moved that the N.D.A. contribute £200 towards the amount of the costs incurred by the Normanby Company. He said it would never do for the N.D.A. to bear the whole of the exr>ense, as they would probably find that a number of legal cases would be fought, with the Jesuit that the funds of the N.D.A. would be very much hampered, Mr Harding (United) held that the case was the most important affecting the industry that had "come before the courts in New Zealand. In reply to a question, the chairman said that the total amount which the Normanby company had to pay was Mr Tosland (Pihama), in supporting the motion, said that what was wanted was a uniform set of articles for all the companies in New Zealand. Mr Forsyth (Eltham) pointed out tilt if the Normanby Company had not fought the case some other company would have had to do so. The amount involved was only £6 or £7, and yet expenses had amounted to £270, and if the N.D.A. paid the whole of the costs it would not amount to more than 20s per factory. On being put, the motion was carried unanimously.