H.—ll

middle joint, caused by foot slipping and hand going forward on the saw. One case, foot severely out by foot slipping on breaking-down bench and coming into contact with breaking-down saws. lam pleased to report rhat factory matters have still continued in a satisfactory manner. 1 have received no complaints from employers, and none have reached me from employees. I, therefore, conclude there are few abuses in contravention of the law. There are a large number of workmen from the Commonwealth States, especially bushmen and sawmill hands from Tasmania, who have found work in this district, and they seem to give general satisfaction. There were no prosecutions. " Shops and Offices Act, 1904." The coming into operation of this Act did not affect the closing of the shops here; it merely defined the hours of shop-assistants and office-assistants as defined by the Ace. By a requisition of the majority of the shopowners under section 21 of the Act, published in the New Zealand Gazette, 1905, page 255, all shops in the borough are directed to be closed at 6 p.m. on four working-days of the week —Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday —as from the Ist February, 1905. By a like requisition the above gazetted notice was varied and its effect limited to all shops in the borough, except tobacconists' shops, as from the 13th March, 1905. During the time the tobacconists' shops were compulsorily closed under the first-mentioned notice, from the Ist February, 1005, till the 13th March, 1905, they complained that the hotelkeepers were cutting seriously into their business from 6 p.m. till 10 p.m. by selling cigarettes and cigars. No doubt this complaint was well founded, but, on account of the buyer being in sympathy with the seller and the short space of time they were closed, I failed to obtain direct evdience of a sale. There was some slight friction with the chemists, the difficulty being that they stock goods and commodities other than medicines and medical appliances. However, with the above exceptions, the provisions relating to early closing seem now to be appreciated by both shopovvners and assistants, without any apparent inconvenience to the general public. The legal half-holiday is Wednesday and it has been strictly observed. There were two prosecutions under the early closing gazetted requisition notice —viz., a tobacconist, for failing to close his shop as directed by the said notice. He contended he did not come under the provisions of this notice, because he employed no assistants. He was convicted and fined. A Chinese storekeeper was prosecuted for failing to close as directed in the said notice. He contended he was not a shopowner, and was exempt under the provisions of section 21 subsection (5). He was also convicted and, fined. Servants' Registry Offices Act. There are three licensed registry offices in this town. No complaints have reached me from employers seeking employees, or from persons obtaining or seeking employment. All seem to be conducted in a very creditable manner. Labour. The sawmilling industry in this district continues to employ a large number of men at good wages. All have to be skilled or partly skilled before obtaining employment at this work. All the mills have been busy and running full time, giving constant employment. Some few of the mills are nearly cut out, but that will enable the land to be cut up, and settlement will follow. Tradesmen. Bricklayers, carpenters, blacksmiths, saddlers, cabinetmakers, engineers, tailors, Ac, have all been busy and fully employed. All unskilled labour hiis been fully employed at buslifelling, roadmaking, scrub-cutting, grass-seeding, firewood-cutting, fencing, &c, and men who are willing to work had no difficulty in finding employment. Few swagmen have been seen on the roads, and those few have been mostly elderly men. Labour, both skilled and unskilled, lias had a good prosperous year. Trade, both wholesale and retail, has again been good and sound. The town still continues to grow rapidly. Some fine brick buildings (business) have been erected, and three fine brick shops are now under construction, with every indication of still more extension. There are no unoccupied houses in the town, with a keen demand for houses. The town and district are making sound and rapid progress, as the railway returns will show, in the gross being ahead of even Napier and Wanganui. A. Cruickshank, Inspector of Factories. E. Tregear, Esq., Chief Inspector of Factories, Wellington.

NEW PLYMOUTH. Sir,— Department of Labour, New Plymouth, 12th April, 1905. I have the honour to forward my report for the year ending the 31st March, 1905, herewith. The total number of factories and workrooms registered under the Act during the year were 125, employing 482 male and 100 female hands. This is a reduction on the numbers of the previous year of 5 factories, and of 47 male and 3 female hands.

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