£1000 DAMAGES

Hokitika Guardian, 7 September 1927, Page 4

£IOOO DAMAGES

COMPENSATION FOR WATERSTDER. DUNEDIN. September 5. Mr Justice Sim this morning deVi vored his judgement in the. case o) John Hector Williamson v. the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, Ltd., in which the plaintiff claimed damages for injuries received while loading iron plates on Hie Corinna on June 22nd, 1925. His Honour awarded complainant £IOOO damages. In the course of his judgment his Honour said lie thought that Captain King was responsible for the use of a rope sling for the plates and that the failure to provide a chain sling ready for use when required was the cause of tho accident. The plainttiff was still suffering from neurasthenia as the result of the accident. He had recovered from the injury to his back, hut his l’eft thumb was deformed owing to having been -broken and badly set. He could not use it properly for gripping and this was a serious disability for a waterside Worker. It was probable that the plaintiff would recover from the neurasthenia within a reasonable time after the present litigation was ended, and in view of all the circumstances the damages ought to be assessed, he thought, | at £IOOO. Tho plaintiff had been I paid compensation under the Workers’ Compensation Act and credit must he given for the amount. Judgment would according to scale ,nnd disbursements and witnesses’ expenses to be fixed by the Registrar, and an allowance of £lO 10s for the one extra day of the trial.