AN ARCHITECT'S CASE.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12460, 9 February 1909, Page 4

AN ARCHITECT'S CASE.

£tJNiTED Pbess AisboiATiON.] - J if Auckland, Feb. a 'In the Magistrate's " Court thisafternoon, \V. de Montalk, arohitect, sued J. W. Hbare and Co., leather merchants, Wakefield;: strset, rorthe sumof £7i3s7d, for work done and for money paid by the plaintiff on benalf of the defendants. Tne case for the plaintiff was that he iad : been employed by the defendants to prepare plans, etc. , for business premises in Wakefield street. The tenders (seven or eight in number) were duly received, and particulars thereof banded to the defendants. One of the tenderers (Mr J. H, Julian) withbdrew his priqe (£ll77)' because of a mistake in his estimates. This left Messrs Newson and Campling as the lowest tenderers, at £1497. The defendants considered that the tenders were too high, and subaoqently arranged with Mr Julian to undertake the work at a revised price. The plaintiff dbjected that uhe procedure was irregular, ao.d declined to go on with the supervision of the work. Expert t>vfdence was callid to show, that the defendants had not acted, in accqrdance with the practice .usually adopted in Auckland, one witness stating that when no tenders Were accepted within 31 days, it was U3ual Jc compensate the lowest tenderer : "at tne rate of a quarter percent, oh the amount of his tender.': Tne. defendants' evidence was;.tp\ the eifeot tbat;p!a'ihtitf had been : . givon to understand that the defendants wereprepared to pay him a reaganable amount for preparing his original plans, .etc., but they entirely repudiated his claim with respect to, the' preparation of copies, which they asserted had not been ordered. Tho lease was adjourned til! Thursday ■ nest, -in order to, secure, the attend- 1 ane of Mr Julian. . ■