SUPREME COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6518, 10 April 1889, Page 3

SUPREME COURT.

Civil Sittings. THIS DAT. (Before His Honor Mr Justice Eenniston and a Special Jury of Four.) DIITORD AND ANOTHER V. BOOTH. Mr S pack man appeared for the plaintiffs 5 Mr George Harper appeared for the defendant. On the application of Mr Spackman, witnesses were ordered out of Court. . The plaintiffs in this action were mother and son, the latter recently an apprentice to the defendant. The issue to be tried was whether or not the defendant instructed Joseph Ditford in the art and mystery of a fitter. The amounb of damages claimed wa3 .£l5O. Tiic statement of defence admitted the apprenticeship, but denied the other allegations. A further defence blamed the apprentice for his negligence, which prevented him from learning his art. Mr Spackman opened for tho plaintiff, and called Joseph Ditf ord,one of the plaintiffs, son of Mary Ann Ditford : Was sixteen when his mother took him to the defendant's. Would bo twenty-one next July. Was given work at defendant's, and about a twelvemonth afterwards signed the articles of apprenticeship. This was at defendant's request. . For the first five or six months was helping a tinsmith. After that was pub into the fitting-shop, and employed at screwing work at the bench. Continued ab that seven or eight months. Learned ifc ia a week. Afterwards was put for five or 3ix months to similar work wifch a machine. Afterwards wa3 put ab the "vertical," drilling holes. Was seven or eight montha at that. Did not think this had auythicg to do with fitting. Could learn the "vertical" in a month. Was ni'xt put at the shaping machine, putting key-wayo into wheels. Turning and that I made a separate trade. ■ Afterwards was ; put at the lathe, doing rough turning. Was Jat that eighteen or nineteen months. j Turning had nothing to do with fitting, j which was bench, work. Was never iJufc to [ tlic bench to do fitting. Jt would take between two and three Tears to learn the trade of fitting. When witness* five years were up he was told !ho would have to go, through the slackness of work. ABkcd defendant for his indentures. Got them the same night. They had a note signed by Booth, Macdonaid and Co., to tho eiiecb that j witness had served his time satisfactorily. | Applied for work at several places, and ' could not get ib as he w;i3 not a fitter. ' Subsequently asked defendant why he had , not put; witness at the fitters' bench, during j the l'asb year. Defendant na,id it would not have paid him to do so. Witness said he would see it the indentures were legal. Defendant turned round sharp and told witness to come no more. If he had learned tho fitting properly ho could get 7s or 8s a day. The most he had got at his ; trade was 25s a week. Had worked only tvra and a half mouths. Ifc would take him two or three years to learn fitting. Cross-examined : Defendant made agricultural implements, wind pumps, &c, and \ employed thirty or forty niou. Mr ! McDonald was about tho place. All the • machines were in the same room. There ! were a good few, ten or eleven, other ' apprentices. Expected to be put to the bench, at once. Apprentices hud to take their turn at all the other machines before getting to the bench. The lathe would be the Lint before the bench. Was as smart !as others. All the machines he was kept ] at wero weed for machinery that would ; have to be fitted together at the bench. Did not complain until put afc tlio latbo, when he asked to have the same show as the others. Was always on good terms ■with his employers and the foremen. Apprentices did not go for a time aB improvers before getting employment as ■ journeymen. j William Lucas, engineer :It would take i £6u.r or five years to make a man a good ; turner, and a longer time to make him a ' good fitter. A fitter must have a general knoMedge of' machinery. [Left sitting.]