SHIPOWNERS' LIABILITY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 193, 4 May 1918, Page 10

SHIPOWNERS' LIABILITY

GOODS DAMAGED IN TRANSIT. A claim for £'i 10s. lid. for damages illeged to have been due to the faulty carriage of certain goods on tho s.s. Calm, and made by, Boss and Glendining, Ltd., against the Canterbury Steamship Co., Ltd., came before Mr: W. G. liiddoll, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. Mr. G. G. G. Watson appeared for the plaintiffs ami Mr. D. B. Hoggurd for the defendants. i 1 In the etnteincnt of claim it was set out that on or about November 15 last the Duuedin agents of Boss and Glendhiing, Ltd., consigned certain goods by the s.s. Cnlm to their Wellington branch, and that tho defendant company, had failed to carry such goods safely; in particular one case containing Panama hats, which was damaged. A part of the con. tents of this case had, moreover, been saturated with .some liquid, apparently beer. It was also alleged that u short length of tweed had been damaged through faulty carriage. After hearing lengthy evidence tho Magistrate held that tho Panama hats were damaged by some liquid whilst in tho hands of tho shipping company, aiid it wa3 for the shipowners to show that this was not due to negligonce, With respect to llio ease of tweeds, the Magistrate held that the evidence showed that tho caso in which it was packed was structurally woak, and a "repacking receipt" for that had been given, and tho plaintiffs could not recover. Judgment was given for plaintilfs for £!i 3s. 5d., with costs in respect of the damage to the Panama hats.