SEVERE COMMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 268, 14 November 1935, Page 7

SEVERE COMMENT

CLAIM AGAINST CHRYSLER’S THE JUDGE’S REMARKS. LONDON, Nov. 12. “Mr. Chrysler is said to be one of the foremost industrialists in America, but some of his answers show that his standard of business morality is lamentably low.” With these “ and other severe comments Mr. Justice Atkinson in the King’s Bench Division gave judgment after a 03 days’ hearing against a group of defendants representing the Chrysler undertakings in favour of Arnold de la Poer, of Caddgan Court, London, and the Canadian Company known as the Suffolk Investment Company.

Plaintiffs claimed that de la Poet in 1928 was forced by threats and misrepresentations of defendants to sell at under their value the shares he held in Chrysler Motors. Limited, which in 1.925 he had received under a sales agreement from the Sales Corporation. The Judge said that Chrysler and the other defendants did not hesitate through counsel to charge de la Poer, and another with conspiring to give false evidence of forgery, deception and blackmail, although they must have known that there was not the slightest justification. “I am convinced that the real reason for the termination of the sales agreement with rhe English company was that the English market had become very profitable in sharp contrast to the situation when ■ the Corporation sold to plaintiff.” ■ Judge Atkinson gave judgment for j £3509, with costs, for de la Poer, with interest from March 1, 1928, and £36,["O9 and interest similarly for the Sufi folk Investment Company. He agreed : to hear counsel as regards the alloca- : lion of the damages among the Cor- , poration and its subsidiaries. It is unofficially estimated that the costs will exceed £40,000.