Carnrick v. Liquozone Co.
Carnrick v. Liquozone Co.
Opinion of the Court
This is an action for breach of a written contract of the following tenor:
*597 “February 18,1904.
“Messrs. The Cumberland Glass Mfg. Co.,
Bridgeton, N. J.
“ Gentlemen: You may enter our order for our entire supply of Amber bottles, from Augt. 1st, 1904, to Jany. 1st, 1905. The 8 oz. lettered, 6J oz. weight, at $2.52 per gross, and the 20 oz. lettered, 13 oz. weight, at $4.13 per gross.
“We agree to advise you two months in advance of our requirements. These goods are to be sent freight prepaid, in car lots.
“We further agree to take the balance of our old contract of 40 M gross by Aug. 1st.
“ This order is contingent on fires, strikes or accidents beyond our control.
“ Yours very truly,
“ The Liquid Ozone.
S. B. Scidmore, Mgr.
“ Accepted.
“ Cumberland Glass Mfg. Co.
By Richard M. More.”
The plaintiff is assignee of the rights of the Cumberland Glass Manufacturing Company under the contract. The latter will be referred to as the plaintiff.
A principal contention of the plaintiff at the trial was that this was a “ supply contract ” so called, of such a nature as required the plaintiff to furnish the bottles needed by the defendant during the contract period and bound the defendant to take from the plaintiff, not only such as it needed, but also such “ as the plaintiff had reasonable ground to believe the necessities of the business might require.” It is not necessary to define the duties and obligations of the respective parties to a general and unqualified contract to furnish goods needed during a specified period, for the reason that the contract at bar contained a clause governing that particular. In it was a stipulation requiring the defendant to give two months’ notice of its requirements. This provision gave to the plaintiff plain and ample protection as to the quantity which it might be required to provide. Under such a contract the plaintiff would not be justified, except at its risk, in relying
No harmful error appears in the charge touching waiver or in the court’s refusal to give the plaintiff’s requests upon that subject. The parties had been dealing with each other prior to August, 1904, under a written contract which provided only that the defendant should give “ reasonable notice ” of the shipments it might need. The stipulation in the contract under discussion called for a notice two months in advance. It was a requirement binding only upon the defendant. It called for no action by the plaintiff. In a sense it was, therefore, for the benefit of the plaintiff. It was the only party to waive its advantages. If it preferred to relinquish its right under this clause and rely upon other modes of obtaining the information, it might do so. But it cannot impose another and more onerous contract upon the defendant, merely because it has failed to insist upon performance of the one which was written. There was no contention that the contract as a whole had been abrogated.
Exceptions overruled.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- George W. Carnrick v. Liquozone Company
- Status
- Published