H.—ll

Vol. v. of the Book of Awards has been published, also Vol. iii. of the Decisions under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act. Included in Vol. v. of the Awards is an Appendix containing for each district reference to every award and agreement in force, according to trades. This Appendix will be brought up to date as each subsequent volume is published It has been often felt that a great want to unions, when compiling rules, is the absence of some guide so as to clearly bring them into line with the requirements of the Act. To supply this need a set of model rules has been compiled, which already has proved of great assistance to secretaries and others, as the requirements of the Act are set out in plain language understandable by any one. Such model rules have saved the time of unions and likewise that of the Department. Registration of Unions.--During the year 32 unions have be:en registered, with a total of 914 members —viz., 24 unions of workers with 783 members, and eight unions of employers with 131 members. The total number of unions now on the register is 392, with a membership of 32,828, divided thus: 279 workers' unions, with 29,754 members; 113 employers' unions, with 3,074 members. During the year 32 partial and 23 complete amendments of rules have been received, revised, and registered. Sheareus' Accommodation. Thorough inspection right throughout the colony has been made of accommodation provided for shearers and rouseabouts; great improvements have been effected, and, taking it generally, the accommodation is good. The Journal of the Department of Labour is still being issued, and efforts are continually being made to bring it up to date and impart the latest information re labour, not only in this country but throughout the world. Our subscribers are also worldwide, and evidently it is appreciated as almost without exception the subscription is renewed. "Precis of the Labour Laws " : Under this title a handy little book has been compiled and issued, showing the principal requirement of all the Labour Acts now in force in New Zealand. It will be found exceedingly useful for the busy man, who, at a glance, wishes to ascertain particular points in this class of legislation. In conclusion, I may say that from personal observation during the course of my visits to the various cities and towns, also the back blocks of the colony, the only conclusion to be arrived at is one of satisfaction with the conditions of the people. This is confirmed by communication with all and sundry during the course of these visits. True, in the back blocks there have been complaints of roads unmade, &c, but these are details of administration which do not come within my sphere. I have exceptional opportunities of meeting both employers and employees, and, as my journeyings are not confined to the beaten tracks, I meet many people whose opinions are not often obtained, and the majority concur that things in general are fairly good. I have to thank'the office staff for their general desire to push the work of the Department along, and their readiness to oblige when an extra effort is required. The Inspectors throughout the colony are men who thoroughly understand their duties, which are, as is well known, of an exceedingly arduous nature. In all cases they endeavour to hold the scales of justice with an equal poise as between master and man, and, as I have said in previous reports, it is owing to their indefatigable efforts so little friction exists between the many and varied interests we have to deal with. I have, &c, J. Mackat, E. Tregear, Esq., Secretary for Labour. Chief Clerk and Deputy Chief Inspector.

REPOETS OF LOCAL INSPECTORS OF FACTORIES AND AGENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR.

AUCKLAND. Sib, — Department of Labour, Auckland, 10th April, 1905. I have the honour to forward for your information my annual report on the working of this Department for the year ending the 31st March last: — Labour. During the year 1,035 men have been assisted to work. Of these, 725 were single and 310 married, with 1,082 persons dependent upon them. Government works employed 306, and 729 were sent to private work. The number sent to private employment for this year is more than double the number sent in previous year, which is practical evidence that the efforts of the Department in this respect are more appreciated. Although during the year we had a large influx of workers from almost all parts of the world, I am pleased to report that any approach to an " unemployed " difficulty was avoided, although quite a number of the arrivals were unsuitable for hard manual labour; this renders the task of finding them employment more difficult. The very large* drop in the price of kauri-gum has caused a large number of men to leave the gumfields and seek work elsewhere,

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