ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Star, Issue 19791, 15 February 1928, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT

COMPENSATION CLAIMS The Arbitration Court sat again this morning under Mr Justice Frazer. Messrs A. L. Monteith and W. Scott wore the assessors. WOOL WORKER’S INJURY. James Ferguson (Mr J. B. Callan) put in a claim for compensation against Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co. (Mr A. C. Hanlon), the statement of claim being that while plaintiff was working in the wool store of the defendant company a bale of goods which was being thrown down from a lorry on to the ground struck him on the heel and injured him to such an extent that he had been laid up for several months. Ho. claimed compensation for a slight permanent injury. Mr Callan said that Mr Hanlon and himself had settled the case out of court. His Honor struck the case out. JUDGMENT GIVEN. '

On Saturday last the court heard the case of John Kelly against the Jubilee Coal Mine, the claim having been put forward on the grounds that plaintiff had had his left pelvis fractured in February 3, 1926, while in the employ of the company. As a result, of the accident he had been totally incapacitated as regards work, and would _be permanently debarred from following the occupation of a minen After hearing the case the court decided that the services of a medical referee should be requisitioned. This morning Mr W. G. Hay, who appeared for defendant, said that plaintiff had been examined by Dr Gordon Bell, who stated that he suffered from a 10 per cent, permanent injury. His Honor; He allows 10 per cent. compensation in respect to permanent injury, but he does _ not suggest provision for neurasthenia. This is a War Office scale which has been applied by all medical men in assessing compensation under the Workers’ Compensation A.ct* Mr Callan submitted that plaintiff be treated as being totally incapacitated for a period of two years, and at the rate of 10 per cent, for the remaining four years. , . Mr Hay suggested that the court-al-low plaintiff time to recover from Ins neurasthenia. . His Honor, after stating that defendant would have to pay the costs, gave judgment to the effect that plaintiff would be allowed full compensation for a period of 104 weeks from the date of the accident, and for the remainder of the period of liability payment ot compensation would be on a basis oi 10 per cent, of the total injury, the injury to be treated as a schedule one.