WHITE ISLAND TRAGEDY

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 232, 29 September 1915, Page 6

WHITE ISLAND TRAGEDY

EMPLOYMENT AND THE LAW. NO COMPEN. s ATI<"i\ in WIDOW-. ARBFTRATION i OCRT rriX.MENT Mr. .lu.ti r ha* forwarded to Auckland tho jurtjiii'-nt nf ttin Arhiiralinn brought hv .. uidnw nf r,n- ~f the vii time •■!' tin' White [flam] !.-.i-tT of ' !Hh or 10th ><-;.tr:n. it. Milt ] Mr A. K. Sljfltin, ~r . ;,-,r.H jr>i the I rlnimant. »n•! Mr II I' R, •hnino.d for thr Np» Zral.md >u|phir i ornpanv, in v> lirir-f employ the workers of thi> i.-land iverr lit the t.me of thr di.««Mer The plaintiff wa.- thr m.lnw ~> Htr-v F..i»urd William* a 1,., «■,,, .• mp | (l ,..',j In thr fl.frn'lunt ~.im,.mm -■~ n !.,h mirrr quarrying ■ ni'i<- -.il,.lmr .it Wh t'-l-lan.l. ,i».J kli.< .1.,.m.. If>. , t I.- «n, klll.-d iil ~„ .„•<■,.l, l,| ~r,-,::.- r..lt ~f the roursr nl h» pßl|»l<..i in-ni ~:,.i that hhf w.i,. tli.-r.f,,i--. rntitl.'il !.. 'iini}inu>atinn I iin.lrr tin' Wurkrr. i ntn;iPii r ati-iii Art The- 'I'lr-iinri, MjSjrnittr I i..r thr ,|m joi urn n r « lu< h . a i.-c] |li'- rlrath nf I the ill, i-.i-.- 1 Iμ- from liip < innrnstani rs i holil to haw- arifcn mil of hm nn[ilnyinrnt by the rlcffiula nt umft»ny; ;ind : ; 'i to lijvc taken pi.,..- in the' roiirs* , jof lih emploympnt !ii ih<> -Ic.'fn.i.int , rompani !■■! Assumins that death j«a, laimrfl In thp rli-t.irhan .- rrferred to. .hi -i. >. r--:-ui! irom "iniury '•' -I r:iir:it" within ti'.c mranin; of thf ' v". urkrrs I omj+n-ation X t Tin- hurt in,p.»in;r jud;nirnt. d<-.ili . fu-i β-ith thr question wh«>tbrr drath len urrd in thr rcrir-r ni i-mpiormr-nt. and f|uot«. thr statrTirnt made by Lord i Lorrhurn : Moore \. ManrhmtPr Liners, Ltd.. IBin. A.r. 4PBi in this ronnrction. AMUming that th» thrrmal outburst, nr I landi-lirir. nr whatrvrr the natural di* turrinncr- «'as flt Whitr If,Und. an "■arridrnt" "ithin the oi tho orkrrs f omprn-'ation Art. "'the tiret inquiry is." eaye (hr Arbitration I ourt Bench, "via.- ihr drcea*rd. at thr tirnr of thr artident. doin; anvtlnnc nhirh hr mi;ht rra.-on ihlv do \»hi|p in hi.s em plovrarnt with thr defendant company. Thr anewrr ip, 'We- di not know.' Thr facts statrd do not jztvr us any mforma--tion on the point. Thr plaintiff was employed to quarry crude Milphur from thr uorkinz-. and it i 3 *tatTl that thet-c «rrr prartir-ally unharmrd by thr and no hodirs or tracj'f" thereof, nor any tools, wrrp found at .-.jr-h workings." \\'ith rrpnrd to thr question of thr accident oci-urnnjr ailbin tnr timr covrrcd by thr emplnymrut thr (ourt rould nnt dran any inlrren- - ? from the fr.'t!< prrnrntrd. Th» f-ontrart of employmont expres*ly t-tatnj that rmploTnifiit. ronitncnri*ri only v» hrn »ork ar- ' t.;.illy rommenrrd ";i the island, and *»> ro-rxistent with trp liouri> of work. TL - J ai*rp «its ihj a.n to toe time of the ""accidpnt," hut it was Ftalrd that bon.r resident* of Opotiki. 20 or 30 miles a»a_\. hritrd loud detonations at various times from 8.15 p.ru. on 9th or 10th September to 3 a.m. on 10th. or 11th Sep trmbcr. If thr Court ffii entitled to ronjri-turr. t htr. rirruaittani* mieht arlrircl ground for xuppottog i-t. to be probabir that the acrident between thr hours mentioned, ani therefore at a time when it iva» most unlik« : y tint the droraeed waiiid be workir.^r. There «a = , too. no information v to ■ihrthPT the aroidrr.: on-urred at a p!..-t- where tiir d"-.-t-a.-,-d tnipht rea ioT2r.lv b? while in thr employment of ti.» company. H »« lmpossible to know •.» hrr" r.e w&t at thr time of thr era- i drr.x. All that »a.H dptimt.-ly known) «**. that he «nd all other living souls <~n thr l-larxl were rngulfed or pu-ept anay hy some yreat natural dtnturh i AWf. but a.-* to whcti and whrrr. or rx j artly ho", thr dri-m-rd met h* death the:.' nothing knoivn from whirli any lr;Mtimate inference could hr drawn.

'We regret," t-tato* the judgment, ■tha; we irn forced to the conclusion that the plaintiff has been wholly unabjp to R-ati.-;y the onus which rests upon !>cr. and therefore that the isnnct >urcceU in her action."