LABOUR DEPARTMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15987, 4 August 1915, Page 5

LABOUR DEPARTMENT.

WORK OF THE YEAR. SIGXS OF PROSPERITY. [BY TELEGRATH. SPECIAL correspondent 1 Welltxi-ton\ Tuesday. The annual r;-i" :t of the Labour Department, which v.:.. ? «=ent- d to Parliament this afternoon It Mr. Massey, Minister for Labour. ■•; ,i,- s that in May last a great deal of unemployment was met by providing work on the railways and roads. With the advent of spring, however, tr<: condition of things had improved wonderfully. Several trades— the leather —were exceptionally busy through the demands of the reinforcements, and, indeed, all skilled trades had been kept steadily busy since October last.

For the primary industries, there had been a particularly busy season, and labour had been difficult to find at .times, owing to the number of men from the country who had gone to the front. The position was one calling for early action to ensure that the crops would be garnered without undue delay. Since the establishment of the Department, 109,524 workers, with 141,346 dependents, had received practical assistance from the Department. The number assisted last year showed an increase of 1970 over 1913-14. Last year £11,665 was advanced to workers in railway fares, of which sum £9949 was repaid by them. There was an increase of 468 in the number of factories registered, compared with the previous year. The number of workers had not increased in the usual proportion, the advance totaling only 1295. _ The increase in the number of factories was no doubt partly due to the growing practise of some of the larger clothing factories and drapery establishments, when sufficient labour had not; been obtainable, of giving out work. There were many houses registered as " workrooms," where a woman alone, or, perhaps, with her daughter, did shirt-making, trouser-machining, etc. In Auckland there were 1761 factories, in Wellington 1044, in Christchurch 1282, and in Dunedin 1115. The proportion ■ of accidents in factories to the number employed was 10.88 per. thousand. The number of prosecutions under the Shops and Offices Act during the year had diminished by one-half. There were four strikes of minor importance during the yearthe bricklayers (Auckland), cheese factory workers (Greytown), general labourers (West-port), and the 8.8. Maori's firemen. Thirty-five 'new'" onions of workers were registered during the year, comprising 1514 workers - .-"-■ The Conciliation Councils and the Arbitration Court had dealt with 34 industrial agreements, the Court had - made 71 awards, and there .had .been 336 'enforcements of awards. ■ The total expenditure for the year of \ the council of conciliation was £3728, and. of the Arbitration Court, £4234--this amount including the salaries of the com- . missioners £1500, and of the members of the Court £2800. - It was hoped that before the end of the year the accommodation at flarmills andsawmills would be greatly improved. In regard to women workers, the report . states that there are scores, of positions available at good wages. At Nelson. a\ much as £1 10s to £2 per week can be earned at fruit grading. - • ", , -