CARRIER LIABLE

Chronicle (Levin), 6 October 1947, Page 4

CARRIER LIABLE

Case Involving Damage To Antrque Table Said to have been a valuable antique • and family heirloomf,, a walnut veneer table, the property of Mrs. F. S-. Romans-, of Levin, was the subject of a defended actron. in' the Magistrate's- Court, . Levin, on Friday. . Claiming thatv the table top hae f( been damaged while in transit - from Wellington to Levin, Mrs. Romans sought the sum! of £44 10s • from W. Capper and Son, carriers,. of Levin, for damage^ and depreciation. She1 was represented by Mr. D\ P. Todd. . Represented by Mr. A-. J. Mazengarb, Capper's claimed that when the driver had taken d'elivery of the parcel he had not been informed of1 its speeial, value. .No special atten-.- • tion had been paid to its packing at the faetory and they (Capper's) claimed that if the table top was considered so- valuable, it should have been crated. It'was wrapped only in a blanket and was tied with light string. The firm had not insured it, as they had- not been asked to, nor had they any indication o'f its value. . It was- stated by Raymond George Romans, husband of cl'aimant, that the table had been brought out from England by his wife, then- hisfiancee, but had been damaged by sea water, the veneer on the top having lifted in places. On arrival in New Zealand* it had been sent,- . by instructions from the shipping company, to a firm in Wellington. Capper'S had been instructed to deliver the table top to Levin after it had been repaired. Re'turning from a holiday in the South Island, Romans said that he had' eontacted the. Wellington firm and had been

informed that the table top had been sent by Capper's. Enquiries from Capper's had revealed that the table- top had been damaged in transit, and Romans had been informed that it was with a local cabinetmaker. Pursuing enquiries there, Romans said he found the table top' in pieces and wrapped up "like a carpenter's kit." The top had broken down tne centre, one half being broken into three pieces. According to information he had received from Capper's, it had blown off the' piek-up lorry between the faetory and the Wellington depot, while the driver stopped the vehicle to adjust his load- during a gale. The table top had- again been. sent to Wellington for repair, but Romans stated that it had lost all value. as an antique. Previoqsly it had been a perfectly oval piece of wood without a blemish. Now it had other pieces of wood inlaid and repairs were noticeable. In evidence, George William Capper, principal of W. Capper and Son, said that he had beert in the Wellington depot when the table top had been brought in. The driver had stated that he had untied the ropes to adjyst the load and a high wind- had blown it off the vehicle. Capper said he had examined the * parcel and found that the table top had been wrapped in newspaper and an army blanket. Cross-examined by Mr. Todd, he said that the use of tarpaulins wasnot considered necessary in towii work unless it was raining. Tying a load down with ropes was th» usual practice. Continuing his evidence, Capper said that estimates of the table'svalue had varied from £100 to £300. If the -table was valued at so higha figure, he claimed it should have been more carefully packed or preferably crated. Called by Mr. Todd, Mrs. Romans said that she was a collector of antiques. She considered the table to have lost all value as an antique. "It is now just an ordinary table, very efficient, but just that," she added. Questioned by Mr. Todd, she said she considered the table valuable, and believed that one similar to it had been sold in the South Island' for £200. Mr. Mazengarb: That's just hearsay. The table top had arrived at his firm's faetory originally for repairs following the lifting of parts of the veneer and. moulding by sea water, said James Brydges, faetory manager of Scouller's, Wellington. It had left the faetory in good condition and packed with the same packing as that in which it had arrived." The same tickets placed on the outside by the original packer, Mr. Romans, were still there when the- parcel left the faetory, and read' "Handle With Care" and "Fragile." He had had considerable experience in packing furniture, both with this firm and another. He claimed there w£3 nothing unusual in the way t >j article had been packed. It wai.. not usual to crate furniture. During. his experience in' packing he had never used a crate and never had any breakages. As an- antique he would say the table had been worth at least £100. JDeliyeripg. judgment, Mr. A. M. Goulding, S.M., said that there was no doubt of Capper's liabi-lity, and neglect by the driver had also been evident. He would allow the full rclaim of £19 10s damages and £25 depreciation. There wgs ample evidence, he added, that this was not excessive. He 'also allowed witnesses' expenses and solicitor's fees. '