SUPREME COURT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12615, 18 November 1911, Page 7

SUPREME COURT.

GUim. FOR ' DAMAGES

At the Supreme Court thi_ morning, the Registrar (Mr W. A. Barton, S.M.) read the reserved judgment or his Honor Mr Justice Chapman in the'. casei of . James Alexandei" Newman and Thomas ■'Long (Mr J. W. Nolan, w\\\ ■Wl T; Alston - Coleman) y. , James '"_;.' Poynt*e*r ' (Mr Burnard), that ; was . he%d l'a>t the recent sitting '. of the Supreme r'Court. at Gisborne.. the case being a' cTaihi for damages in respect of an alleged breach of i contract in connection with. the ( right to cut-.tin)ber. 'Afferj l-evievting^the- 'evidence'for either 'aide, ' his 'Honor- sums up: "There is therefore. , no d£fence r to this action." His judgment 'proceeds:— ' ;.! j .: .-',. ', „ -A ,a 'y *

-Tlie "Question, theri>' is what ; damages, are the plaintiffs entitled ..' to 'recover ? -' The evi--dence is <very. costradiotoryt. iXksM conflicting a8 to the n^be*, of. timber ;^rces ?in. this, very ! small piece of bush ,'a,na "even us.' to the quantity of ! flreWdboY stacked oh thei; ground. The plaint iff a, however, oh; the. strength, of the contract i-ficm-red expense in preparing to. cut out the timber and firewood, jßndjitheiv> contactbias been broken. This of itself faWes,' I tb^-pfe sumption that they . have r suffered •*** damage, though . that ■ . gives; trio 'assistance as. to ,the* amquntj Plaintiffs, patd,v £so /,of -tho purchase money, and have, received .*6CTfor.firewood and battens; sold. . One , of tlft r plaintiffs had- no experience' nr such' matters;, the other had someii butritr does, not appear -that he. had been regularly ,*uv the -trade. , The contradictory character of the evidence may. be judged .by the. fact 1 that, one ' of : the plaintiffs' witnesses estimates the milling timber *.ns likely ; to yield 120,000 fqefc, another, calculates it- at 8(1,000 .. feet, while one. of tho, defendants wit? •nesses, estimating it- tree by tree,} ]j-_ii}gs' '-,._. »iit at _7,394 feet. .This witness was.' speaking •V)|j w^jite ij?fn-9-j only,: b.uf*' that constituted 'the gre^tpi-..ji£(f^..of, iJ 4he:, "timbot. Speaking;.generally^, . ths_ defendant's > witnesses _>ytj the .qyan-,tjty/'"at-"about.,fialf'tho. q"iia'htity at which the

.'plaiiitiffs'-^vviinessea .estimate •_ it. : ' Sortie' of "these witnesses only- epeftk fOf-28. timber"; trees iOr-. thereabouts, and -say that; flip t Whole. f 0 P M cern is too small to justify \p*uttlhg 'in' p" , in'U^ Vor even putting in n road to , haul out the i.logs. ;. Apart ifjom iha . pqrties i .themselves the" plaintiff-*, cjalled(.n, (ja-Wiri.iHer. and iVftin-tberjiner-i'.|iiy^t"from Gijjb.qriie, 'and- a ; yiiluator, who' hod bperi in the ; tiiiiber: trade;,, The. defendant cnlU ed two builders from - Gisborjie. • d^tinibef *merrhant .from Hastings, and :;>]a'j"totper f f rqnl Gis£ b'prne, two sawmill . owners from;;, niiar^tjie ■fplac'e,' a timber ijnd firewood dealer frorii . Gisbprhe"; bestd.es s^vfeifal^slieepfariiv§rs 'arid'-' ■'others lmving b J_iowlddgei.ot".the Matters ih question. lii -my ,oj6>inion,,^gi-j?ing;crpditir to thesybohatHdes of>,allr,tli£ge:.i*v(/itnesseg» t^e.-. *weight r ;pt-'qvi<t§nce is ■greatly* on the B}ue' 'of -'-the^defence, T d6 not fthirtM'.that the'.-frlairitiffa. Could lirfVbv liiade - much olil<:oiixthe,Hneculntip-fli^wl)i|e theje was"; a 'gteat risk of their losing- money bj-j^t- ;sL*hey i} had expended money, but -.they would havo' -had' to, expend a good deal, more before getting out 'the milling tiriibcr. Their somewhat 'extravagant claim suggests^ .I,o^my f mind' that"they, hiid based their calbui-»(ious ;,#& purchasing •on fiilse •'. premises. 1 diirve * goti'e^ tliroufch • t^p" evi-

dpnee and endeavored to- weigh it." The sum at which - I /(have amyjeaV ia ,ner_ians vmor&ktnan can" be- strictly justlfited by tefetbnee ; to" tlie -Weight of evidence. "Admltliihj, KbweyejrJ , the ejdslenco of a presuuxjitiou: ,»g{H_sli !, ..the def^nda,^, who. is respOTsible^dt^r "jj^lldug the contract, I think that' thej proper' .-jifri-tq : allow tho plaintiffs' i^' £$o ,' fgr-' wjuch . sujV, tppy^W'H htove '; judgment.' .-'Ax,, however^- a 7 larger sum Mian this wa£. paid.'. "Mo ,CQUrtj_il'iaUSw ' the plaintiffs their costs of statement of claim on the lowest scale only, .together -with £6. 5s in respect of the abortive defence, and l\ allow ,the • defendant- tho, -post, o/^preba^ißg,' for.-itrial and of u^ptigal as mer -males^pn, tyfe". qinjjmnt claimed" 'and £8 8s lor the second: day, with •witnesses expenses and disbursements : to- be 'fixed,.. by- the registrar. ThftjSum Jir Court twijl ibe^paia^ouV to, ; the defendant,' less the.'djffe-"? ence between the /sums- allowed: to the.' plain.tiffs, nnd ihe coats allbweto*agaJnst: thei*ri, thdso sums being paid to the plaintiffs. f