SLANDER ALLEGED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 71, 14 November 1931, Page 5

SLANDER ALLEGED

(Press Assn.-

architect's claim ACTION TO RECOVER £3400 ' DAMAGES FROM MR. W. GOODFELLOW FORMER EMPLOYEE OF N.Z.C.D.C

-By Telegraph — Copyright.)

AUCKLAND, Friday. A claim for £3400 for aUege4 libel and slander yras made in the Supreme Court to-day by Percival George AIlsop, building contracior and arqbitect, against WiHiam Goodfellow, company manager. Plaintiff was employed from 1919 to 1924 as manager of the building department of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company at Hamilton. He alleged that defendant, as managing director, caused an entry to be made in the company's books falsely debiting £6000 to the building department, and that this entry was incorporated in the balance-sheet to malce it appear that the building department was carried on at a loss, whereas it realised a profit. Plaintiff was dismissed in February, 1924, and in 1925 an inquiry was held before Sir George Fowlds and Mr. J. R. Fow into certain allegations against the direetors of the company. Plaintiff was not represented at the inquiry. He alleged that Mr. Goodfellow caused to be published in a fariping journal in July, 1925, a copy of tlie report of the inquiry. This report," plaintiff alleged, was falsely and maliciously puhlished, and made him appear as incompetent and negligent. Letter Included Incoi'porated in the statement of claim was a letter alleged to have been shown by defendant to the staff, in which defendant wrote: "I am not going to put np with your abusiye language. It looks to me very much like blackmail. I have come to the conclusion that you are not mentally normal, and the sooner you get a job and get to work the better for yur health and pocket." Plaintiff further alleged that defendant said to one E. C. Houchen that plaintiff had "made a mess of quite a lot of jobs," and had also tried to blackmail him. The defence is a denial of the ellegations and, alternatively, a plea of justification and privilege. The plaintiff stated that he had remonstrated with Goodfellow when he learned that a debit of £6000 had been made to his department, although it had actually made a profit of £1400. After being re-employed he was dismissed from the company's service in October 1925, on the ground that there was no work to go on with, while he had six months' work on hand at the time. He had issued a writ against the company for £1700 for bonuses, but had lost the case. Witness admitted signing a receipt for £100 in 1924 in full settlement of all claims he had against the company. The hearing was adjourned.