COUNSEL RETIRES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24216, 6 March 1942, Page 6

COUNSEL RETIRES

COURT PROCEEDINGS CLIENT CONTINUES CASE £2OOO DAMAGES CLAIM An unusual development occurred during the' hearing of a claim for £2OOO j damages against a firm for alleged breach of a verbal contract, before Mr. Justice Fair and a jury yesterday, when counsel for the plaintiffs announced after a short adjournment that his client would continue his own case. The plaintiffs were tlio Zealandia Finance and Trading Company, Limited, and Lawrence Pickles, director of tlio company (Mr. Beckerleg), and the defendant B. J. Ball (N.Z.), Limited, paper dealers (Mr. North and Mr. Bartleet). The plaintiffs alleged that the defendant was to supply them with newsprint at £2B a ton, and plaintiffs were to make from it grease-proof paper, which the defendant was to buy back at £54 a ton. The defendant denied there had been any such contract. Continuing his evidence, Selwyn John Robinson, managing-director of the defendant company, said that, according to the plaintiff Pickles, witness had offered to' pay him more per ream for the grease-proof paper he produced than the cost of Canadian imported grease-proof paper. Witness personally sold more of that paper than anybody else in New Zealand, and it was impossible that lie could have made a mistake of that kind. He told Pickles he could not give him more than the cost of the Canadian paper. Last September Pickles spoke of selling the plant for processing the paper and asked witness to speak well of the project. Pickles said that if the plant were sold it would save Pickles from taking action against witness. After this evidence a short adjournment was taken while the Court waited for a witness, and a number of matters were discussed in chambers. When the Court resumed Mr. Beckerleg announced that difficulties had occurred between himself and his client, and he was seeking leave to withdraw. Plaintiff would conduct his own case. Permission was granted by His Honor, and Pickles then cross-examined two further witnesses for the defence. The hearing will be continued to-day.