BUILDING CONTRACTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LX, Issue 9348, 20 April 1909, Page 7

BUILDING CONTRACTS.

AN IMPORTANT DECISION,

A juugrnent of great interest to contractors, timber merchants, aud •others, was read by the registrar of

th.. Supreme Court at Gisborue, iv the

case of Peacocfie and Co. v. Williams The plaintiffs, who are timber mer

chants, carrying on business in Gisborne, supplied timber to the contractor who was building the defendant's house, and who gave them au order for £150, addressed to the defendant. The order was in much the

uAfctl form and was accepted and by the defendant. The contractor became insolvent and the plainvAjil's then sued the defendant in the., jVlagistrate's Court for the amount of the order, but were non-suited. They appealed, and Mr Burnard, who argued their case iv the Supreme Court, endeavoured to show that the order was a bill of exchange, and that defeudaut was therefore liable, trhether he had auy funds of the contractors in hand or not. This argument has now beeu upheld in tho judgment of Mr Justice Edwards, delivered recently, which would appear to impose a wide - liability upon the acceptors of orders. :