H.—ll.

into force of the present Act—Navember, 1901. 1,111 men and youths have worked 22,665 hours' overtime, but lam not sure that we have all the returns. This dates from the Ist December last to date —a period of four months. The task of collecting this overtime is a very heavy one, and there is always the risk of repeating the persons working. The permit system would greatly facilitate the work, and would secure more accurate returns. The following are the trades, together with particulars as to number of persons and hours of overtime worked: —

There are 650 factories and workrooms, employing 6,731 persons—viz., 4,775 men and boys and 1,956 women and girls; an increase of 74 factories, &c, employing 335 persons viz., 166 men and 169 women, &c. The increase is accounted for partly by the alteration in the new' Act, which requires all places where laundry-work is carried on for profit to be registered, but mainly to the fact that the period dealt with now extends over the whole period instead of only three months as formerly. Hitherto none of the places that registered after the 31st March in each year were shown in the return, but this year they are all included; hence the increase. Permits have been issued to 408 young persons to work in factories—viz., 200 boys, of whom 78 had passed Standard IV., 52 Standard V., 46 Standard VI., and 24 Standard VII.'; and 208 girls, of whom 90 had passed Standard IV., 46 Standard V., 50 Standard VI., and 22 Standard VII. Care is always taken to obtain proof of age and the production of standard certificates &c, before permits are issued. There were 69 accidents reported during the period under consideration. Eleven were of a severe nature, but none very serious. The remaining 58 were of a very slight nature, and necessitated absence from work for only a few days. In all cases inquiries were made, which went to show that they were the result of pure misadventure. Many of the cases reported do not come within the range of the Factories Act at all, as the two worst cases happened to men employed as carters —one man was run over by his cart, the other collided with the train near the railwaystation. There were only two prosecutions ; in each case a conviction was secured.

ii—H. 11.

IX

Males Females. Trade or Occupation. Number 1 Persons. Number o( Persons. N of Ho 1. i Number of Hours worked Saturday Afternoon. tfumbe Durs w Saturc Number of Num ber of Hours worked Persons, other Days. Number of Hours worked Saturday Afcernoon. Number of Hours worked other Days. A Afternc Tailoring (factories) ... 34 (order) ... I 59 Dressmaking ... ... i Laundry-work ... ... j Waterproof clothing ... j Woollen-milling ... 34 Printing and bookbinding 84 Shipwright-work ... 179 Brushmaking ... ... | 7 Buttermaking ... ... | 3 Packing (general) ... 36 (tea) ... ... 39 Engineering (foundries) ... '. 408 (jobbing) ... 14 Millinery-making Bootmaking ... ... ! 20 Furniture and upholstering ! 11 Confectionery-manufactur- , 4 ing Basket and wicker work 6 Saddle and harness making 22 Carriage-building ... 37 Incandescent-lamp-mantle making Plumbingand brass-working 52 Cordial-making... ...J 26 Hat and cap making ... Sawmilliug, &c. ... 11 Coopering ... ... I 5 Tent and sail making Tanning and currying ... 20 Shirtmaking Photographing ... • " g 34 59 34 84 179 7 3 36 39 408 14 20 11 4 462 2,288 "562 757 5,223 327 189905 452 6,944 140 "89 151 117 451 143 489 279 61 100 123 6 43 39 27 8 12 477 120 720 303 189 "24 18 21,255 4,561 9,074 5,778 4,389 3,333 2,661 300 249 636 555 407 230 g 6 22 37 190 776 424 4 '"9 48 15 *276 1 52 26 493 1,274 93 45 764 6 "5 "08 4 • j 11 5 48 20 '"90 873 48 Grand totals ... 1,111 22,665 1,867 1,866 54,811