Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - The Penarth Harbour, Dock & Railway Co. dispute with Messrs. Smith, Knight & Co. . .

1869 (March) - At the half yearly meeting of the Penarth Co. the chairman stated: "Their position with regard to Smith, Knight and Co. was this. The directors told them in a former report that the arbitrator, Mr. Hannen, had since been made a judge. When they had had two or three meetings Mr. Hannen was promoted to a judgeship, and they could not carry on the arbitration.

Considerable time elapsed before the assignees of Messrs. Smith and Knight and the company could agree upon arbitration, but it had been arranged that Mr. Macnamara, of the Oxford circuit, should be the arbitrator, and an appointment had been made to go into the matter at the end of April. . . . " Cardiff Times [019] 6th March 1869.

1869 (November) - 'Some years ago a complicated dispute arose between the Penarth Harbour and Dock Company and their contractors, Messrs. Smith, Knight, and Company. The contractors got into difficulties, and their estate had to be wound up long before their contract was completed.

The liquidators appointed to wind up the affairs of the contractors made an enormous claim on the Penarth Dock Company. The Dock Company repudiated the debt, and made a counterclaim of a large sum against the contractors. This gave rise to much litigation, but it is likely now to be terminated, as Mr. Macnamara, the barrister, has been appointed arbitrator between the parties, and has been engaged at Cardiff collecting evidence respecting the matter in dispute, and he is assisted by Mr. Bateman, civil engineer.

Mr. Quain, Q.C., and Mr. Philibrick have been retained to represent the contractors, while Mr. Field, Q.C., and Mr. Bidder appear for the dock company. They have met at the Royal Hotel, Cardiff, and it is expected that they will be able shortly to adjudicate on the matter.' - The Engineer [015] [499] 5th November 1869.

1870 - 'The case of Smith and Knight v. Penarth Dock Company has been for years before the courts, and is now hung up in chancery in spite of Mr. Hawkshaw's powers under the contract . . . . ' A section of the President's Address to the Royal Institute of British Architects (taken somewhat out of context but quite relevant!) published within The Builder periodical. [683] [684]