A CARRIER'S CHARGE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4957, 29 March 1926, Page 3

A CARRIER'S CHARGE.

COMPUTATION OF INCLUSION OF RETURN, JOURNEY. ■ .-..A- peculiar point was ; put to'”Mr .W. - ■G. Kenrick at the Putaru.ru Court’last week, when; a solution, was. sought of ' the meaning '.of the; term Isj 6d per mile when .applied to a carrier’s • charge for handling freight. W..E. Cole, farmer, of Tokdroa,.held •that the.charge should b&'for one way ? of a journey only/and in consequence : he disputed several items in an .account in -by ’Messns Walsh‘ and West, motor.'carriers, a.lso of Tokoroa. -•/ ; Robert Boneham West : stated .that . riiis firm had-carted chaff for defend?. . an,t'ori newly made i’oads in- the middle of winter. The carting.was done, over a distance ot -13 miles,’but-the . actual .arrajigement,. a verbal one, as to price, was. made between his part? . ner 'and ■ Cole.: Reginald Walsh, of Tokoroa, \ the - previous, witness’ partner, stated that the amounts' iridispute, with, one excaption; were for tripsi between Cole’s house and number three camp a,t Ara- • puni. • It was arranged that the charge- should be at the rate of Is 6d pei- mile, and this he held, 'covered the journey to the . camp .and back again. It was quite usual to reckon the distance-both .ways. As it was, ■ they had. mined a car, and the .contract had resulted in a loss. • The Magistrate: Boiled down, then, it-is ; a question as> to whether the arrangement entered. into verbally between defendant-and yourself meant that mileage was to be counted both •ways ? ■ .- ■ , .... ■' Plaintiffs’ counsel: That is> .so, sir. W. E. Cole; farmer,. Tokoroa, stated .that he, made-arrangements with-.the previous-witness, ' to. cart chaff and other goods from his pla’ce to No. 1 Camp, a distance- of ten miles, for the sum of l'ss. If any casting had to be done-over the. ten miles, then the charge was to be Is 6d a’mile; This, witness held, should be reckoned one .* way. only. : ; - . The.'Magistrate : But the. plaintiff had ■to get back home. ■ He couldn’t very well stay* at the end. of. his journey. Course.: That is. so, sir. All taxifares, as we all know, .afe, counted both ways. . Continuing, witness stated-that he . had had experience as a carter; and .used to, charge £1 a ton from Puta.Turu to Tokoroa.-' The. Magistrate : I haye'no evidence that'carting is, done ror 9d per mile, ■ or that Is 6d a mile ,is excessive. To win "your case you must prove to the ‘ Court that Is 6d a mile is an exces- ■ sive charge; - ■ No further evidence was offered, so Judgment wan entered for plaintiffs for the amount in dispute' (£7 45,), plus