SOLICITORS DIFFER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9690, 19 June 1917, Page 8

SOLICITORS DIFFER

AN EMPHATIC DENIAL. RB-OPENING OF CASE DEMANDED An appeal for the re-opening of a case was made at yesterday’s sitting of tho First Wellington Military Service Board by a solicitor who stated that he wished to give an emphatic denial to a statement made at a recent sitting by Air J . AV. Macdonald (solicitor of the Public Trust Office). The solicitor said that Mr Alacdonald had stated that he had kept the Public Trust Office dangling on for two months, and then thrown them over, making absurd conditions as to his employment, objecting to tho carpet in the office, and so on. Ho had denied tho truth of that statement to Air Alacdonald; but he refused to appear before the board, and withdraw it, claiming that there were two or three solicitors in the same position, and that he had not necessarily referred to him. He had attended the meeting of the board to give Mr Alacdonald an opportunity to withdraw it, but Air Alacdonald was not present; and he, therefore, claimed to be allowed to refute the statement. The chairman (Mr D. G. A. Coopor, S.AL): “How do you know that be referred to you?” The appellant: “Because the circumstances are so unusual that he must have meant me- I deny the truth of his statement.” The chairman; “If that is tho case, Air Alacdonald ought to have an opportunity to put his side of the matter.”

The appellant : “Alay I make my statement if he docs not come?” Tho chairman: “We cannot make him conic. AVe will give him an opportunity to come. AV© wiU adjourn tho matter till 2.30 on AVednesday afternoon next.”