GELIGNITE EXPLOSION.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20091, 21 November 1930, Page 8

GELIGNITE EXPLOSION.

LABOURER AWARDED COMPENSATION.

A premature explosion of gelignite on a Public Works undertaking on 1110 Summit ro;id so Harry Yeatman that he received compensation from tbe Department ior ten months at the rate of £2 a week. The payments wero then stopped, and Yenman yesterday petitioned in the Arbitration Court for further compensation. Mr W. J. Hunter appeared for petitioner, and Mr A. W. Brown for the Crown. Mr Justice Frazer presided over the Court, and with him on the bench were Mr W. Cecil Prime (employers' representative), and Mr A. L. Monteith (employees' representative). Yeatman, in his statement of claim, alleged that in December last, when employed as .a labourer by the Public Works "Department on the Summit roi'd. a premature explosion of gelignite occurred, so that ho received injuries to his right eye and right arm, resulting in permanent loss of the eye. and permanent part disablement of his right forearm, as a result of which he had been unable to work since the riccident. He bad received compensation from the Department until the end of September last. Ho prayed the Court to grant him such further compensation, as h© might bo entitled to under the Compensation Act. 1922. The Crown admitted that the nceident had occurred while Yeatman w-as in the employ of the Department, and that he had lost his right eyo in the accident. A formal denial of the permanent part disablement of th« right arm was made. The Crown also formerly denied that Yeatman was still unable to work. Mr Hunter claimed that the loss of plaintiff's arm was even more serious than the loss of tlie eve. All the doctors were agreed that there would be no improvement to the arm, and that the man was fit only for light labour. Ycatnmn gave evidence regarding the accident and the disabilities from which he was suffering. He was questioned and cross-exnmined regarding his average weekly earnings during the twelve months preceding tlie accident, which his counsel claimed to have been £4 Is. Medical reports were handed in giving the opinions of various doctors regarding the losses he had sustained, and tlie compensation which was due to him. Tlie' general opinion expressed was that Yeatman was permanently' disabled to the extent of between 60 and 70 tier cent, of bis total earning capacity.

The Court assessed the degree of disability "t 66 2-3 per cent., and awarded compensation from the date of the accident to Januarv 10th. 1031, at the rate of two-thirds of plaintiif's weekly wage before the accident, a n't from January 11th. 1931, for the period of liability, six venrs, a lump sum equivalent to two-thirds of the former rate of pavment, Cd'te o e £l2 12s were awarded actamst the Crown.