New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 75, 26 October 1916, Page 6

New Zealand

THE WAR REGULATIONS.

ALLEGED BREACH OF CON-

TRACT.

Per Press Association,

Wellington, October 25. Magistrate Reid to-day is hearing a charge against Scoullar Company Ltd., of a breach of the War Regulations, in allegedly supplying flax mattresses and pillows of a quality riot in accord wjth the terms of the contract.

•■ The case, for the. Crown alleged that the average weight of a number of mattresses supplied was 14i lbs where as it should have . been 181bs ; further, that many were filled with! sour /flax, rope ends, dust, and the| sweepings off the floor, rendering! them unfit and insanitary for use by the troops. The saving effected by supplying a lightweight mattress was stated to be from 4|d to 6d each. Mr Macasseyj for the Crown, said there could be no suggestion , that the. directors of Scoullars and Co., who were leading men in the town, had any knowledge or suspicion that the contract was not being strictly performed. , ' Mr' Weston, for the defence, ■ said it was admitted that owingj,to,' circumstances for which the ' management were not responsible, some of the, mattresses were light-weight, but the Crown had to prove that it was done wilfully. The case is proceeding. |