THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13985, 19 August 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT.

ANNUAL REPORT.

WELLINGTON, July 30. The Labour Department's report was presented to Parliament to-day. . Tho- rejidrt states that there, his been an increase in the number bt factories, there beins 9i)7more, employing' 4907 iitafo workers thd.ii last year. SKILLISD TRACES.

In skilled trades; especially , building trades, times were busy, but in Wellington and Dunedin the engineering trade, was stack, while in smaller towns, . such . as Napier arid New, Plymouth; it was brisk. Not enough hands could be got for .the clothing trade in Dunedin and Napeir, and there was a shortage of tailors everywhere." Wbblleil mills were Unequal to the tradfe, being busy in Wellington, but slack at timtis in Duriedin. ,Bbot liiahufaetutc wajs brisk coffipkre'd with Die busiiicss of 10 yeah ago, and at ITtihe'din' aiid ■WolilHgloH there was riti cc&siohitl shortage of certain elates of .hands. Abbilt (lib ciiily .trade liigging bbhind the general prosperity is' tho saddlery and harness trade, ■ due to tno extension of tfahnvay systems aiid .the introduction of niStor cars .and cycles. Flax-niijling was prosperous, but.ih somq parts of the North Island;.especially .round Dannevirkb; the denudation of forests caiis'ed the tinibdr industry to languish. ..... UNSKILLED LABOUR:

This had a period of special activity; title to _ tho extension of lr.aihWay6', building, drainage works at Timafu, recreation grounds at, Weilirigron, .tho Exhibition at OliristchUrch, and. the Main, Triinli |iKc. All the_ surplus labour was thus absorbed; and there was ,it shortage Of farm labourers! Last year the department assisted 7383 nieii.to femploymeiitj of whom 4675 Wore for Government, employ, and 2178 id private) cmjildy. This makes it total of 52;477 ineii assisted since 1691;

( SHOP'S AND BHCI* ASSISTANTS; . The report contains a table showing tlist (hero wero 29,141 shop assistants eiriplbybd, wHosO foi' the year amounted, ib' »1i482,373, .The total number of shops was 10,727. Taking the.four chief, centres, Chrietcliu'rch had. 1279 , shops, Wellington 1186, Dunedin 1159, arid Auckland 1146; ■ ARBITRATION ACT; In December, 1906, thero wero 109 employers'. ii'hioiis with 333? members (a decrease of fdlir unions itljd 6i metitbers compared with the pfevioits year) and 27* ffdrkers' uniojiS with 34,978 members (ah i/icrease of 13uriidhs aiid 5109 fterhbei-s); T j>?' r .e ..*pr6 406 cases untlef tho act, Of which 359 Wefts won by the labour' bepattmfent.ahd 33 dismissed, (ho other' bine being withdrawn. The; expenses iheufred by the Boards of Dphcitiation aiid .Court of Arbitration oh the vote of the Labour .Department were: Conciliation Boards; £818; Arbitration Court-, 1)3706;-total , £4524: Tho report refdrs to two strikes during the 1 year—tho Auckland Tram Company's employees and the slaughtermen's strife; both of which Wo briefly biltlined. The latter has brought otlt. till! question " whether the Arbitration Colirt ediild punish men by nnpfisonm'ent if tlie fihes inflicted on thefn by tho court are lett unpaid, and even laughed at." ;

M SactCwM The report of tho Chief Inspector of Factories, Mr,,T. Macliay, states that' tho tendency of factories, .'is Undoubtedly towards improvement. The proposed amendment of the act will contain provisions making the section relating to tho employment bf women and young persons extetid' to the the unrestricted hour's worked by, Chinese in industries iri which women and young person's are employed, particularly the laundry bade, being hoither file ndf just Tile HScessity fdr arileiidmerit. <jf tlie.ShSps and Offiqes Act in rjjgaftl to tlHfatr cdhijietition by grocers, the Chifieso storeTccepcrs' premises being open while the" former are closed, is bbihted out Also to provide for assistants in.hotels and restaurants being allowed a half-holiday oii the statutory closing day ffbiii 2 'p.m.„..inst«ad of from 1 p.m., as at present. The result of carefiil inquiries showed that the tendency to employ children of tender years in the dairying industry is decreasing) but sufficient evidence wa'a found to justify "restrictive legielatiori;