HUNTER ESTATE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 134, 23 June 1937, Page 4

HUNTER ESTATE

-Press Association.)

Widow's Action Against Trustees MANAGEMENT OF FARM

(By Telegrapfa.-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Further evidence was heard in the Supreme Court this morning in the case in which gross mismauagement of the estate of the late Sir George Hunter is alleged by his widow, Edith May Hunter, against the trustees, Cyril Paul Hunter and Thomas Percy Hunter, nephews of the deceased. The plaintiff is seeking their removal from the trusteesliip because of her allegations, which are denied by them. Having been three days in the wit-ness-box, Oscar Monrad, a farming expert, eoncluded his evidence " to-day, Answering the judge he said that the fundaaiental charges were not doing scrub-cutting when the subsidy was available, neglecting to replace in 1932-33 with, at least, 2000 good ewes, neglecting to cull and neglecting to sell cull lambs, especially this year when prices had been exceptionally good. • Charles Raymond Edgecombe, sheepfarmer, of Hatuma, said he inspected the estate on March 6 and again on April 10. The property bore a generally neglected appearance. Cross-examined by Mr Weston, the witness said that he had been informed by Percy Hunter that Percy Hunter was giving the use of some machine in exchange for the estate 's woolshed. The witness could see no advantage to the . estate in the use of the woolshed by others, even if the shearing _ were cheaper by reason of the larger number of sheep put through. Re-examined by Mr Willis, the witness said that the good farming operations aaentioned by him as having. been done by the defendants were not difficult and were customary activities of a station. • In the eircumstanees they were the obvious things to do. Failure to introduce new blood into the flocks had resulted in serious loss through diminished returns.