£150 DAMAGES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3417, 23 February 1920, Page 6

£l5O DAMAGES.

ALLEGED LABOUR TYRANNY. WELLINGTON, Feb. 20. In the Supreme Court, before Mr i Justice Sim and a jury of twelve, the hearing was continued of the case in which James McGregor, seaman, of Wellington, sued the New Zealand Federated Seamen’s Union, through

the general secretary (W. T .Young;, for £IOOO damages on the ground that through wrongful expulsion from the union he had been prevented from following his occupation. His Honour informed the jury that, apart from the question of damage, all other issues were matters of law. Coupsel had agreed to submit the question of dam* | age& to the jury and to leave the law isues to be dealt with later. In other I words, the jury would for the time being assume that there had been wrongful dismissal, and upon that assumption assess the damages. Whether there had been wrongful dismissal was a matter of law. and would be decided as such. His Honour said he did not think the jury would .-he entitled to aw r ard the plaintiff (assuming for the time being the law points were being decided in his favoui) more than the amount of pecuniary he had suffered. Plaintiff was not entitled to punitive damages, but to reasonable compensation for the loss he had suffered up to the was likely to suffer before being reinstated. The jury returned a verdict of £l5O. Questions of law' were adjourned.