IN FRACTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 143, 19 June 1934, Page 9

IN FRACTIONS.

WAGES ARITHMETIC. JUDGES GIVE THE ANSWER. (AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS' The wav tlic Judges of the Court of Appeal interpreted a definition and answered the resultant problem in arithmetic is of much concern to a widow, and of far-reaching interest in the Dominion, states "The Post." Compensation amounting to £1000 is due to Doris Blenkiron, instead of fli.V) 10/8 paid to the Public Trustee by the West port-Stock ton Coal Company, Ltd., as a result of a decision of the Court of Appeal delivered in Wellington yesterday. The case was an appeal on a case state<l from the Arbitration Court, vn which Doris Blenkiron, widow of a coal miner accidentally killed at work, claimed £1000 compensation. The decision ends doubts about the interpretation of section 0 of the Workers' Compensation Act, 1922, and supplies the answer to the question put: "What is the true basis upon whic'i the average weekly earnings of this deceased should be calculated and assessed under the Workers' Compensation Act?" The Court of Appeal consisted of their Honors tlie Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers), Mr. Justice Herdman, Mr. Justice Blair and Mr. Justice Kennedy. The four judgments aggregate over 40 typewritten pages. Mr. P. J. O'Regari appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. J. Stevenson and Mr. Bishop for the defendant company. The judges agreed that the answer of the Chief Justice should be adopted in reply to the question on the case stated. The answer reads: — The true basis is to ascertain the fraction of each actual working week during which the deceased was absent from available work: add th.oso fractions together; deduct the result of such addition from the total number of weeks (28), and divide the total earnings of the 2S weeks by the figures obtained after such deduction. The result will give the deceased's average weekly earnings.