Mr. Tilton Steele the Plaintiff In the U. S. Court for China last Friday, before the Hon. C. Lobingier, judge, the action Ww: commenced in which Mr. A. Steele is suing the American Trading Ca. to recover $32,075.36 on an alleged breach of agreement of employment.
The case as shown by the pleadings for the plaintiff is to the effect that the plaintiff was engaged by the defendant company as chief accountant in their Shanghai office for a term of three years and to receive no less than Gold $10,000 for his services, at the rate of 55 gold dollar cents to the tael. It was further alleged that the defendant company promised to the plaintiff, as it was alleged it was their practice, various bonuses, commissions and remuneration. The defendants are alleged wrong. fully to have dismissed the plaintiff on or about March 17, 1919, and had thereby broken the agreement. The amount claimed was alleged by the statement of claim to in-elude salary, bonus, commission remuneration and expenses, in accordance with the agreement and understanding between the parties.
In reply the defence filed an amended plea in abatement which stated that the contract referred to was made between the plaintiff and the American Trading Ca.. (Pacific Coast),—which was organized and created under the laws of the State of California, whereas the defendant company was organized and created according to the laws of the State of Maine. The defendant company further denied ever having entered into the contract alleged by the plaintiff, but proceeded to state that on May 2, 1919, the plaintiff and defendants entered into a written agreement to settle their several disputes by arbitration by the Hon. Mr, Potter, who, having heard the contentions of the two parties, adjudged that the matter of the three-year contract should be referred to a Mr. Ward at San Francisco for settlement, that the plaintiff should be paid in full until such time as he could secure first class passage back to San Francisco less any amount proved to be owing by plaintiff to Mr. Blake, vice-president of the American Trading Ca.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.