IMPORTANT CASE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 24, 21 September 1931, Page 5

IMPORTANT CASE

WORKERS INJURED IN HOTEL FIRE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION. WELLINGTON, Friday. An important judgment and one which will have far-reaching results, was delivered in the Arbitration Court to-day, when three employees of the licensee of the Panama Hotel, who were injured when escaping from the burning building during the recent fire in that hotel, made claims for compensation under the Workers Compensation Act. The plaintiffs were George Michael Skone, Margaret Park and Ruth Jones, and defendant was Mary Catherine Hyde, widow, as administratrix of the estate of B. Hyde. Delivering judgment, His Honor, Mr. Justice Frazer, said there was no dispute regarding the facts; the only question for the court was that of the liability of the defendant to pay compensation. The accident admittedly arose in the course of plaintiffs' employment, but it was disputeed that it arose out of their employment. Counsel for defendant argued that though the accident resulted from a fire it did not arise out of plaintiffs' employment. His Honor said that it was impossible to distinguish a case of personal injury caused by such a fire as occurred in this case from that of a worker whose duty necessitated his being in the burning building from "location risk." Judgment was given for each plaintiff for compensation for the periods during which their injury lasted, with costs.