Claim For £11,141 Heard At Wanganui

Northern Advocate, 20 May 1949, Page 7

Claim For £11,141 Heard At Wanganui

WANGANUI, Fri. (Sp.)—An action for damages amounting to £u,w, brought against Eric Rostrom Nicholson by Bruce Murray Lange, was heard before Mr Justice Hay and a jury at Wanganui. Lange was injured on January. 1948, when an aerial cableway across the Waitotara River on Nicholson’s farm at Kowhata collapsed. / Defendant claimed in evidence that he had never given anybody permission to travel on the cableway. Opening the defence, Mr R. oWithers submitted that if the jury was satisfied that defendant was not aware that people ' were travelling across the river in the loaded cage suspended from the cable'and that he had not given them permission to do so, then the case ended-at that.WEIGHT RESTRICTED A swing bridge was provided for foot traffic. The defence contended that Lange had jumped on the cage when it was loaded and had thrown a big strain on the anchor wires, which snapped, causing the cable to collapse. Nicholson added that he told Lange that only one bale of wool waS to be taken over at a time and that the bales were not to bfc maido too heavy. During shearing, in the presence of Lange, he had told a presser not to make . bales heavier than 8401 bto 350ib. The case was adjourned.