CLAIM FOR WAGES

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2309, 30 July 1921, Page 2

CLAIM FOR WAGES

At the local S.M. Court yesterday before Mr J. L. Stout, S.M.. Thomm Lee (Mr Bergin) claimed £7 9s iron Norman Cooper. Mr Bergin stated that plaintif had been engaged to split posts foi defendant. He split two lot,-. Defendant paid plaintiff for the tirsi lot, but not for the second. Plaintiff. after waiting some weeks, sent defendant an account for same, anc for other work done. Defendant paid him only about half of the amount claimed.

Plaintiff stated that Cooper en

raged him to split posts on Air ['onroc's property near the beach. Elc had split one lot for him, and tad been paid the amount decided >n, namely .Is for posts, and 5- for drainers. He had • also chopped ■omo blocks, but no arrangement isid been made a- to the price to hern id for them. He considered he ■mild not do them under 2s each, vltich price lie had charged. He vas later engaged by defendant to •hop another lot on the same eondiiotis. It took him nearly three veeks to do the work, and he had telped Cooper cart the posts, which ook two days, and Cooper made no ■omplainl when he took the second of, hut when he went to him about hreo weeks after to gel his pay. he old him that the posts weren’t any ;ood. When he took the posts hern d agreed to see him on Saturday light, which he did not do. In answer to a question, claimant aid that he had got the best posts e c-uihl Ibid on the properly. Norman Cooper stated that he

had engaged Lee to split posts at the.rate of Is per post, and 5s for strainers. He took delivery of the lirst lot, which were quite all right, and engaged plaintiff to oui'aiiothev iol. lie wa> supposed to dig the wood out of the ground, which he had done in the tirst ease, but not in the second. The second lot were cut out of washed-up timber, and were not of the best of that kind, as others had picked the timber over before him. Ho said that he told plaintiff when he was carting the second lot out, that the posts were no good, and that some weren't lit for battens. He told him to slop culting any more, and that they weren't worth (id each. As to the

account Lee sent him, he had charged him for 97 posts, whereas there were only 9(5, and for G blocks, whereas two of which were only ends of posts. They weren’t even trimmed, and he did not consider them wortli

2s cadi. Lee had not helped him to cart the posts. On one of the days that plaintiff said that he had helped him, he knew that plaintiff took three or four loads of timber into Foxton. He had no permission to touch the timber.

Air Bergiu pointed out that Air •aree had given plaintiff permisin to lake timber from his pro-

Defendant said that lie did not know that. As to the quality of the posts, lie had brought some in in his cart, and they were in the yard if the Court would like to inspect them. The Magistrate said that whether the posts were of good quality or not, defendant had had the labour of plaintiff, and should have paid him. He entered up judgment for plaintiff for £5, costs £1 16s Od.