ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12819, 20 March 1905, Page 7

ARBITRATION COURT.

COMPENSATION CASE. Tub members of the Court of Arbitration— Mr. Justice Chapman (president) and Messrs. Brown and Slater— on Saturday forenoon in St. Andrew's Hall, Lower Svmondsstreet, to hear claims for compensation under tho Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act, 1900. Letham v. Phillips; In this case the applicant, James Loth am, father of Frederick Henry Letham (aged 13 years and nine months), a newspaper vendor, of Springstreet, iPonsonby, who was crushed to death under the wheels of a. train at Newmarket railway station oil November 9 last, while in tho employ of respondent, Catherine Esther Phillips, stationer and tobacconist, Queen-street, sought the order of the Court for such compensation for himself and wife, as partial dependents on deceased, as tho Court might see lit. .Mr. A. K. Skcltou (Dcvoro and Martin) was for applicant, and Mr. E. Mahony appeared for respondent. In opening the ease Mr. Skelton stated that the deceased's earnings. were 8s per week, which sunt was handed -to the parents, who were in poor circumstances and partially dependent upon tho deceased for their livelihood. The average incomings to the house outside deceased's wages amounted to £1 17s 6d, out of which 10s per week had to be paid as rent. James Letham, Harriett Annie Letham, and Sirs. E. Price gave evidence bearing oil the financial circumstances of the household. The mother (Mrs. H. A. Letham) stated that the cost of upkeep amounted to about £1 17s per week. Sir. Mahony, for respondent, submitted that the statement of tho mother clearly indicated that the dependency of the parents on the decejisod's earnings was very slight, if indeed there was any dependency at all. Respondent was prepared to pay funeral and medical expenses totalling some £14 3s, and held that should the Court see fit to grant further compensation the amount should not be a large one. The decision of tho Court was reserved.