CLAIM FOR £588 FEES

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1029, 21 July 1930, Page 10

CLAIM FOR £SBB FEES

ARCHITECT SUES OWNERS OF PAYKEL’S BUILDING EVIDENCE FOR DEFENCE The defence of Max Paykel Buildings, Ltd., to the claim of an Auckland architect, Edmund Rupert Morton, for £SBB, balance of fees allegedly due for professional services, was continued before Mr. Justice Smith in the Supreme Court today. Mr. Finlay appeared for the plaintiff and Mr. Northcroft for the defendant. Continuing his evidence, Max Paykel, the defendant, said, that the turnover of his business was between £200,000 and £250,000. He denied that Morton had ever given him an estimate of £SOO for his work, witness adding that Morton, of his own volition, had often visited witness’s office, sometimes staying two or three hours. Cross-examined. Paykel said he expected the architect. who designed the building, to meet all the expert’s charges for remedying the defects. He was on good terms with Morton until the latter billed him for £SOO for fees for his work in the then pending litigation. Plaintiff was the only architect in Auckland except one who would have undertaken the inspection and reporting on the building. He agreed that he had called his solicitor, Mr. Ziman, a jellyfish for his conduct of the case, this occurring in an interview with Morton, who hammered the desk and declared that Mr. Ziman was not doing the right thing. (Proceeding.!