“EXCESSIVE FEES”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 814, 7 November 1929, Page 6

“EXCESSIVE FEES”

PROTEST AT SOLICITORS’ ACCOUNT HARBOUR BOARD LOAN (Special to THE SUN) CHRISTCHURCH. Today. "There is certainly something wrong if solicitors can charge excessive i< :es ifko this,” said Mr. W. Walter when the Lyttelton Harbour Board w as di cussing an account for -111 Os 6d ie ceived from Messrs. Chapman, Tripp, Cooke and Watson, solicitors of Well ington, who acted lor the Australian Mutual Provident Society from w the board raised a loan of £ . A- a t fThfl finance committee repotted that by correspondence with the solicitors and after the board's chairman had Interviewed them at Wellington, it had suggested that the account might reasonably be reduced-to £.5- 10s, ana offered that sum in settlement, on the advice of the board’s solicitors The other solicitors declined to agree and had submitted their account to the registrar of the Supreme Court, Wellington, for taxation. The secretary, Mr. C. 11. Clibborn, read the board's solicitors opinion that the charge was made cn a recognised scale. Under the scale the Wellington firm was entitled to charge £199 10s 6d but that firm had recognised uliat the board's solicitors had done some work and had sent an account for £lll Os Cd. The board's solicitors suggested that in fairness the IVeliington firm might reduce the charge to yii- Walter proposed that the board nay £ 50, and let the Wellington firm sue for the remainder. But it was generally agreed that the board would lose its" case. It was eventually decided to pay the account, under protest.