Iron Trade Products Co. v. C. E. Watson Coal Co.

5 Pa. D. & C. 420, 1924 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 145
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedAugust 1, 1924
DocketNo. 62
StatusPublished

This text of 5 Pa. D. & C. 420 (Iron Trade Products Co. v. C. E. Watson Coal Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Iron Trade Products Co. v. C. E. Watson Coal Co., 5 Pa. D. & C. 420, 1924 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 145 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1924).

Opinion

Martin, P. J.,

Plaintiff filed a statement of claim in a suit to recover the price of coal purchased by defendant. The statement avers a contract on April 19, 1923, for forty-nine cars of coal, f. o. b. mine, at the price of $1.70 per ton, to be shipped to the Chevrolet Motor Car Company at Flint, Michigan. A copy of “sales contract,” attached to the statement of claim, describes the material as “Slack Coal, Pittsburgh Seam, clean, not exceeding 10 per cent. Ash, not over 2 per cent. Sulphur, with a BTU of 13900,” and the rate of shipment, five cars daily. Terms: Net, 15th of the month for previous month’s shipments. This sales contract was marked “accepted” by defendant “5-18-23.” It is averred that between April 19th and May 18, 1923, plaintiff shipped forty-four carloads of coal, as indicated on a schedule attached to the statement of claim, and that plaintiff became entitled to the price of this coal, amounting to $4277.965.

The affidavit of defence admits that this coal was shipped, but denies that shipments were made in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract, and avers that cars were not shipped at the rate of five daily, as appears by the schedule of shipments attached to the statement of claim, and that the coal was not of the quality specified, as appears from a copy of a detailed analysis of the contents of cars rejected by the consignee, the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, attached to the affidavit of defence.

It is also averred in the statement that an oral contract was entered into by plaintiff and defendant on May 17, 1923, for the sale by plaintiff to defendant of 100 cars of coal at $1.70 per ton, f. o. b. mine, to be shipped to the Chevrolet Motor Car Company at Flint, Michigan, and paid for on the 15th of the month for previous month’s shipments; and that between May 18th and May 28th twenty-five cars were shipped by plaintiff under the terms of that agreement; but that on May 31, 1923, defendant wrote plaintiff: “We regret to advise that the Chevrolet Motor Car Company has refused to accept any more coal from us due to the quality of the coal shipped them on our order. Under the circumstances we must ask that this contract be canceled.”

The affidavit of defence avers that, in an oral conversation relating to this contract for 100 cars, the president of the defendant company stated to plaintiff’s agent that if all the coal shipped, or to be shipped, to the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, under the contract of April 19th, was satisfactory to that company and accepted by them, defendant would then give plaintiff an order for 100 cars under the same terms and conditions as to quality and rate of shipment provided in the agreement of April 19th, but that the conditions of this offer were not fulfilled, in that not all the coal shipped to the motor company, under the agreement of April 19th, was satisfactory, nor was it accepted by the motor company; that some of the coal was rejected because the quality was not as specified in the agreement, of which rejection plaintiff was notified; and that the motor company had further cause for rejection, in that cars were not shipped at the rate of five daily. That there was an agreement entered into between plaintiff and defendant on May 17, 1923, or shipments accepted under that alleged contract is denied, and any shipments made by plaintiff under such an agreement, it is averred, were made without authority of defendant.

The statement claims that on June 8th Harkness, an agent of the defendant, requested plaintiff to ship ten more cars under the agreement of May 17th, and that these cars were shipped to the motor car company on June 8th. A copy of the schedule of the shipments is attached to the state[422]*422ment of claim, showing the amount due to be $32,71.055. The affidavit of defence denies that Harkness had authority to bind defendant, or that he ordered the ten cars of coal to be shipped; admits that ten cars of coal were shipped by plaintiff to the motor car company on June 8th, but denies that the shipment was by agreement with defendant or its duly authorized agent; avers that defendant did not receive or accept any cars under that alleged contract; and, admitting that the shipments were made as indicated in the schedule attached to the statement of claim, denies that there was a contract entered into on May 18, 1923. The statement avers that on arrival of the forty-four cars shipped under the agreement of April 19th, and the thirty-five cars shipped under agreement of May 17th, and tender thereof by the carrier to the consignee, the motor company refused to receive some of the cars, but accepted delivery of others. The car initial numbers and contents of those accepted and those refused are specified in two schedules attached to the statement of claim, showing that coal of the value of $4913.255 was refused, and coal valued at $2635.765 was accepted. The affidavit admits the accuracy of these schedules of accepted and rejected coal, and avers that fourteen of the cars marked accepted were diverted while in transit to the Peerless-Portland Cement Co., of Union City, Michigan, at the request of plaintiff, and, when they reached the destination, were rejected by the cement company, due to inferior quality, and that it was necessary to make an allowance of 75 cents per ton, at which lower price the cement company accepted the coal, that this allowance, amounting to $584.29, leaving a balance due plaintiff by defendant $741.09.

The affidavit admits liability to plaintiff for 771.4 tons, at the price of $1311.38, shipped under contract of April 19th, and claims credit for $338.73, which plaintiff admits to be correct.

The statement of claim avers a sale by plaintiff to the Chevrolet Motor Car Company of the ten cars shipped on June 8th, for which plaintiff received from the Chevrolet Motor Car Company $527.30, at the price of $1 a ton. A credit slip for this amount was sent to defendant, accompanied by notice that all extra charges would be charged to its account.

The affidavit avers that these ten cars were sold to the motor company for $1.10 per ton, and denies liability to the plaintiff. The statement avers that $231 was paid by plaintiff for demurrage on these ten cars, which the railroad company required as a condition for delivery to the consignee, and that an invoice of this payment was mailed defendant. The affidavit of defence acknowledges the receipt of the credit memorandum, but denies knowledge of the terms or conditions of the sale.

The statement claims to recover from defendant the charges of the carrier for transportation, freight, demurrage, storage, unloading and expenses of sale of the coal in the cars rejected by the motor company, but this claim is not pressed in the present motion; payment has not been made by plaintiff, and suit has not been instituted by the carrier against plaintiff.

It is alleged in the statement of claim that on May 29, 1923, defendant bought from plaintiff a car of coke, at the price of $7.25 per net ton, f. o. b. ovens, to be shipped to Consumers’ Coal and Coke Company, Kalamazoo, Michigan, that the coke was shipped, received and used by the consignee. Liability for $277.31, by reason of this sale, is admitted in the affidavit cf defence.

Defendant filed a set-off and counter-claim for profits, which it is alleged could have been realized from the thirty cars rejected by the motor company, [423]

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Bluebook (online)
5 Pa. D. & C. 420, 1924 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/iron-trade-products-co-v-c-e-watson-coal-co-pactcomplphilad-1924.