Amazon Irrigating Co. v. Briesen
Amazon Irrigating Co. v. Briesen
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The first assignment of error complained of by plaintiff in error is that the evidence was not sufficient to warrant the finding of a verdict and rendition of a judgment against the defendant below.
The petition of the plaintiff below alleges that he entered the employment of the defendant below as a civil engineer to perform the services of an engineer in the construction of a certain canal or ditch through Finney and other counties in the state of Kansas, at an agreed compensation per month ; that he remained
Plaintiff below' for reply to the answer denies specifically all the new matters set up in the answer of the defendant below which are in conflict with his petition and amended petition. These were the issues upon -which the trial w'as had. There was but one single witness examined on the trial, and that was the plaintiff himself. He testified at great length as
The second assignment of error is in the admission in evidence of the conversations between the plaintiff below and U. ID. Pickering. It is alleged, in the amended petition of the plaintiff below, that the contract was made in behalf of himself, and by U. ID. Pickering on behalf of the defendant; that at the time of making the contract the said Pickering was vice-president of the irrigating company and superintendent of the building and construction of said canal or ditch, and was acting in that capacity at the time. Section 108, chapter 80, General Statutes of-1889, reads:
“In all actions, allegations of the execution of written instruments and indorsements thereon, of the existence of a corporation or partnership, or of any appointment or authority, or the correctness of any account duly verified by the affidavit of the party, his agent or attorney, shall be taken as true unless the*759 denical of the same be verified by the affidavit of the party, his agent or attorney.”
The allegations of the authority of Pickering were not denied under oath, and- hence were admitted by the pleadings. It was not necessary to introduce evidence to prove the authority of Pickering before his statements could be given in evidence. It was also shown by the evidence that the only contract that Briesen had made when he entered the employment of the irrigating company was with Pickering as vice-president of said company ; and the defendant’s answer alleges a contract with Brieseñ, and asks damages for the breach of it.
It is also contended that the court erred in the admission in evidence of certain conversations between Briesen and Jones, for the reason that it was not shown that Jones was an agent or officer of the irrigating company, or had any authority to represent it, and his statements were incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial. It is shown from the evidence that Jones was acting in conjunction with Pickering in the superintendency of the construction of the canal for the company ; that both Pickering and Jones were giving directions in and about the work ; that one Cook was a contractor doing the work of excavating and making fills in the construction of the canal, and Pickering and Jones were giving the engineers and others engaged in the work directions as to the location of the general route of the canal. And it also appears that Jones was the person who provided the funds to pay the expenses and to pay the employees ; that there was no time during the progress of the work that there was any objection to the instructions given by Jones; that he was on the work every week, and he was the one whose instructions were generally fol
It is contended by plaintiff that the court erred in giving instruction No. 5, as follows :
“5. You are instructed that if you find from the evidence that the blank books, papers, maps, charts and profiles were furnished to the said plaintiff by the defendant company, and that he, the said plaintiff, by his labor, art, and skill, placed therein and thereon field-notes, tracings, profiles and maps which were*761 and are valuable to said defendant, and that defendant had not paid him for such services, -that he is then entitled to a lien on said property until he has received his pay.”
The defendant below in substance averred that the work to be done by plaintiff included the execution of maps, field-notes and drawings, which plaintiff offered to turn over to the defendant below upon defendant paying plaintiff what defendant was owing him ; that the defendant below refused to do so, and, for that reason alone the drawings, field-notes and maps were not delivered to the defendant below; that he was then, and now is, and always had been, ready and willing to turn over the same to the defendant upon payment for his services; that the drawings, field-notes and maps did not belong to defendant until plaintiff should be paid for his services. The defendant below in its answer, among other matters, in substance avers that plaintiff did undertake to do -certain surveying and engineering work; that such work so required to be done by plaintiff included the making and furnishing to defendant certain field-notes, drawings and plats ; that the entire value of plaintiff’s work for defendant depended upon making, and furnishing to defendant the field-notes, plats and drawings. The reply of the plaintiff below, among other things, in substance avers that it was not true that plaintiff refused to deliver the field-notes, drawings and plats made by him to defendant, but that plaintiff offered to deliver the same to the defendant on payment for his services.
Section 1, chapter 58 of General Statutes of 1889, reads:
“Whenever any person shall entrust to any mechanic, artisan or tradesman materials to construct,*762 alter or repair any article of value, or any article of value to be altered or repaired, such mechanic, artisan or tradesman shall have a lien on such article.”
It is contended by plaintiff in his brief that a civil engineer, employed by the month, is not entitled to any lien upon instruments produced by his labor; that the very fact that the employment, if any, was upon the salary to be paid indefinitely, or monthly, is-inconsistent with the claim of lien under ¶ 3663 of the General Statutes of 1889, relating to mechanics, artisans and tradesmen doing job- or piece-work and not to salaried employees.
We do not think that it makes any difference whether the engineer be employed by the month, the day, or whether he be only employed to make the field-notes, drawings and plats. He is entitled to his lien until he has been paid for the making of the same ; and, where he has not delivered over the possession to the adverse party, is entitled to retain possession of the field-notes, maps and drawings until he has received his compensation for making the same.
It is insisted that the court erred in allowing the pleadings to be taken to the jury-room. The court in instructing the jury gave them very fully and completely the issues stated in the pleadings and what was claimed by each, stating to them that the plaintiff alleged that he entered into a contract with The Amazon Irrigating Company, through its authorized agent, to work for it as a civil engineer at $100 per month, the amount due him under his contract for work and labor performed over and above all set-offs or counterclaims — the sum of $321.66, with 7 per cent, from May 22, 1888 ; that he also claimed a lien on certain books and papers in his possession containing maps, profiles and field-notes made by him while act
In the case of Myer v. Moon, 45 Kas. 580, Mr. Justice Johnston, delivering the opinion of the court, says :
“In charging the jury, the court, instead of reciting at length the contract alleged to have been violated, and the misrepresentation alleged to have been made, referred the jury to the petition, and indicated those portions of the petition where the contract and misrepresentations might be found by pencil-marks, and permitted the jury to take the petition to the jury-room with them. The practice of referring the jury to the pleadings in order to determine in whole or in part the issues of the case is not to be commended. It is the province of the court to determine the issues and state them to the jury, and not leave them to ascertain the effect of the pleadings or the issues which they present. In this case, however, the issues were stated by the court, and the jury were only referred to the petition to ascertain the terms of the contract, which were not disputed, and the misrepresentations which it was alleged had been made by Myer. The construction of the pleadings or the determination of what the issues were were not left to the jury, and no prejudice could have resulted from the action of the court.”
There being no error in the record, the judgment of the district court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The Amazon Irrigating Company v. J. V. Briesen
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published