"TEAPOT STORM"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23997, 21 June 1941, Page 12

"TEAPOT STORM"

METER RENT CHARGE COMMENT BY HIS HONOR The legal right of the Whangarei Lighting and .Manufacturing Company, Limited, to impose a meter rent charge of Is a month on gas consumers was challenged in proceedings before Mr. Justice Fair in the Supreme Court yesterday. On behalf of Stanley Clayton Thome, solicitor, of Whangarei, Mr. Mahony sought an interim injunction to prohibit the company from disconnecting Thome's gas service for failure to pay the meter rent.. Mr. Stanton, lor the g.is company, opposed the application. When the matter came before him last November, His Honor referred to it as "much ado about nothing," and referred it back to the parties for eonsiderat ion. Mr. Mahony said his client had carried out the Court's instructions, hut his discussions with tin l company had been without, result. This was not a ease of much ado about nothing, but had to do with a very important, principle.

His Honor: It affects Mr. Thome's pocket 12s a year. Mr. Mahony said these shillings

amounted to L 1(18 annually, which represented 7 per cent of the company's gross annual earnings, lie submitted that the company had no legal power to charge meter rent, and even if it had that power it had no power to cut off the gas for non-payment.. Mis Honor: It is a storm in a teapot. It is a quarrel about whether .Mr. Thorue is obliged to pay 12s a year for renting a meter.

Mr. Mahouy submitted there were others concerned, and that it was a test case.

His Honor said Mr. Thome did not represent anybody but himself. The application for an injunction was dismissed, with £l2 12s costs and disbursements.