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Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1066, 27 March 1882, Page 2

In whichever side's favor judgment may be delivered in the case of Poole and others v. the Imperial Company, heard in the District Court on Thurseay last, the trial affords another excellent of the truth of the old sayinjfctilisib ''Jbe who is his own lawyer t flPfl^pi % r I%lient^ The action ■ was : ffprided on an agreement between •the plaintiffs and the company for the execution of certain work, and this document, instead of being drawn up by a professional man, was prepared by company themselves. During the early part of the case his Honor pointed out that some parts of it were glaringly inconsistent from a legal point of view, and that so far from portions of many clauses, intended to be specially binding, being of any eflect they were worthless, aud must be set aside altogether as boing absolutely disconnected. Mr Jones, who conducted the defence, inreply to a question from his Honor, admitted that there had been no legal linger in the pie, and had to submit to, the consequence of lay blundering in the best way he could. 'It is not necessary to say that, inasmuch as a-greafc -deal that the company relied on for their defence was thus ruthlessly cut away, their advocate had a very uphill task in conducting his case, and should the verdict be adverse, the very imperfect nature of the agreement in question must be largely accountable for the result. In this case, even presuming that the whole amount sued for be recovered, which is hardly probable, the sum at issue was comparatively trifling, but exactly the same looseness has prevailed where thousands, instead of less than a couple of hundred, have been and are at stake. Surely this should be* a warning to managers and directors in future, for, by such false economy, they may certainly jeopardise and possibly destroy the best interests of shareholders on whose behalf they act. The case in question should put those iv charge of companies on their guard in future, even thongh the past be irreparable, and the caution thus given from the Bench is one that they cannot afford to disregard.