DEALINGS IN OIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20621, 21 July 1930, Page 10

DEALINGS IN OIL.

CASE ENDS ABRUPTLY.

COURT RESERVES DECISION,

[BT TELEGRAM. —OWN CORRESPONDENT-] WELLINGTON. Saturday.

Tiio "Mecca Oil Company" case, in which three plaintiffs arc seeking to recover sums of money from Norton Parker Pimeutel, the promoter of the conipan), on the grounds oi : fraudulent and falss misrepresentations, came to a sudden end 111 the Magistrate',s Court this morning. When the Court adjourned on Thursday evening Mr. Harding, counsel for defendant, said he had only two more witnesses to call, one of whom was the defendant. To-day when the ease was called Mr. Harding said: "If Your Worship pleases, I uo not propose to submit any further evidence on defendant's behalf, and I intend to close my case accordingly." Mr." i'readwcll, for plaintiffs, said 110 wished to draw the Court's attention to what he alleged wa:i the significance of tho fact that defendant had not gone into the box to give evidence., Mr. Harding: I wish to object most strongly to that. Mr. Treadwell :;aid this sudden conclusion had come as a great surprise to him. Only a few moments before tiia Court commenced tie had had it from defendant himself that defendant would b9 giving evidence. , The magistrate, Mr. E. Page, said J} 9 would deliver a written judgment within a few days.