ARBITRATION COURT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 October 1924, Page 7

ARBITRATION COURT.

DEATH OF A FIREMAN. (by TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, Oct. 15. Judgment has been filed by the Court of Arbitration in the claim for compensation by Alice Maud le Scelle, widow of Jules Emil le Scelle, deputysuperintendent of the Devonport Municipal. T/’ire Brigade, xvho was accidentally killed at Devonport on April 5, 1924, by being thrown from the motor fire-engine, which collided with a telegraph pole -while being driven to thcscene of an alarm of fire. The court held that the deceased was a worker within the meaning of the Act and was employed by the defendant corporation under a contract of service. The court declared the plaintiff and her two daughters were the partial dependents of the deceased. The amount of compensation payable was fixed at £4OO, apportioned as follows: To the plaintiff £228 11s 4d, to each daughter £BS 14s 4d. As regards the question whether certain insurance money should he set off against the amount of compensation to be awarded, the court cited section 14 (1) of the Workers Compensation Aft, 1922, which set forth that there should be no abatement of the amount for which the employer or his insurer was liable by reason of the fact that money had accrued to a claimant in respect of any life or accident insurance policy effected by himself or by auv ■''person other than the employer: The cornoration paid premiums on two policies find did so a® the direct einolover of the deceased. The total of £250 was payable under the. policies. Section 14 (11 of the Act did not. apply, and so much of the sum of £250 as was payable to each dependent under deceased’s intestacy, must accordingly be deducted from her share of the compensation monev. The plaintiff was awarded £l4 10s for funeral, expenses and £lO 10s costs with witnesses’ expenses.