A boy employed at a colliery lived with his father, who received his earnings and supported him. The amount of his earnings at the colliery did not exceed the cost of his maintenance, but he also assisted his father in the evenings in the barbering trade. There was evidence that the value of the boy’s services to his father in this trade was considerable. The boy was killed by a colliery accident, and the father claimed compensation from the colliery owners as partially dependent upon the boy’s earnings.
Held that in such a case the arbitrator should take into account the value of the workman’s services to the dependant, as well as the earnings and cost of maintenance, and upon that basis decide to what extent, if at all, the parent was dependent upon the workman’s earnings.
Judges:
Lord Chancellor (Loreburn), Lords Atkinson, Gorell, and Robson
Citations:
[1911] UKHL 626 – 1, 49 SLR 626 – 1
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Employment
Updated: 14 June 2022; Ref: scu.619205