FRAUD ALLEGATION

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1934, Page 5

FRAUD ALLEGATION

SALE OF CITRUS FRUIT FARM.

SUBMISSIONS OF THE DEFENCE.

By Telegraph—Press Association.

Auckland, Last Night.

Based on an allegation that worthless land near Kaeo had been fraudulently sold to a London architect in 1930 for the purposes of a citrus fruit farm, a claim for £1144 damages was further heard in the Supreme Court to-day. The plaintiff was Tom Walter Thornton, farmer, Matamata, who proceeded against Wil’ liam Henry Ball, a former director of New Zealand Citrus Plantations Ltd,

In opening the defence Mr. V. R. Meredith said the claim was a strange one, based on a fraud as against one director and one director only. It was based largely on a magazine article published at London when Ball was 10,000 miles away. Tire unfortunate failure of the company was largely due to disunion among the directors. Ball and other directors had relied, as they were entitled to rely, on the report on the property made by the experts and directors who had visited it.

Mr. Meredith will continue his address to-morrow.