Workers' Compensation

Maoriland Worker, Volume 6, Issue 244, 20 October 1915, Page 3

Workers' Compensation

I ! Two Important Gases

! THE BENEFITS OF UNIONISM, j

Two interesting'oases have come under our notice of late, and both of them supply a convincing reply to those people who sometimes criticise , unions and unionism. Our readers j will recollect the case of Alfred Bush, of Napier, a, labourer, whoso claim for compensation against'the Napier Harbour Board was hoard on July -jnth ; Inst. Bush was assisting to raise a ;large stone into a waggon when he suddenly collapsed aud was uiiablo to resume work. The. Board alleged thai; the cause of the incapacity was heart disease and not-: accident, and refused to p.iy 'compensation. Now, .Bush is a. married man with a Largo family, and was quite, unable to vindicate his position in a court of hw. Ho was not; a. momber of any union, : fnit tho Napier (Branch of ' the -General" IJdbourtrV jf-jiio'ni'haTiiig'obtamed'legal advice-'on ! the case, decided to help the unfortunate man.' The. enso presented some difficulty' inasmuch as Bush admittedly had. heart disease. In January last ! bo' had consulted Dr. Edgar' who pro-, nounced him to bo afflicted with valvular disease of tbo heart ard bronchitis, and advised - Bush that he should &6 nothing-but the lightest work. Like rtiiny . others of his • fellow-workers, i however, Bush could not keep hie family without employment, and light em- ; pioym.ent was gut of the question. Accordingly, be forked on until tho elhnas 'came when, ho got under 'the huge rock which proved too much 'for him. Fortunately for himself, Bush saw the doctor again .oil"the evoking .of. the/Jay on which he, was injured, and Dr-. Edgar-* evidence..enabled tlie court to Wold tha-t .-the :t^c....w.as;!o"C,{£.UViurf 'by. accident; indeed,, yftor. hearnigiJitilr. Liiik~ tljOjclejVendant. BcKH-d...'iidmiUed that "f.Lo"."iiinii i bud been injured by accident. the i court took time to consider tho quaututji of comnensatiuu, however, but ultimately decided to award a weekly payment of 175.., in addition to i-21 odd accrued compensation from tho date of tho accident uutil tho hearing, together with costs £7 75., and witnesses' espensss. This mci«ns that, thanks to tho union of which ho was not a member, Alfred Bush is assured of 17s. weekly for tho next cis years, or, if .the payment is commuted, a lump, sum of £200. __.. . The 6econd is'tlio case of a miner on the West, Coast.' On.the 27th Fcbruarv last, James Walker met his death by gas poisoning or 'suffocation in a tunnel at Lake Hochstetter, near Ahaura, in tho Grey'Valley-.'.'.Deceased-we s .in ! engine driver, aud was in chargo of an oil .engine in use by ..the HochstetW Company for pumping the tunnel whici is .destined to ';' carry water-fro the lake .to the' AhaiiiTi river- ' Company, admitted liability - , to pay ■ £500 and,funeral expenses under the Workers' Compensation,;but. there were circumstances surrounding the accident which' showed that the dependants had a cau§o of action for damages. The-mat-ter .was.taken np by the liiangahua Miners and 'Dr.odsfo : EmDloyeps" Iridun- ' trial Union of, Workers, a«d a writ was issued claiming' "damages'. The widow, of tho. unfortunate deceased is . an..inmate of a mental hospital, and there are two young children, who are residing with relatives at Kaiata, near Greymouth. The case was 6et down for hearing at. Greymouth ou September; 13th ,last, but when it was callod oniir O'Rcgun, on behalf cif the plaintiffs, intimated that the case bad been . settled, the. defendant Company hay- : ing. agreed .to .pay, £700 damages. Judgment was entered accordingly by consent for .that amount.. It should .be ■ mentioned that, .-the Inangahua miners donated £20''towards! tho legal expenses. Tho relatives ha'nre publicly thanked tho union through tho local press - . ..•■■.