H.-11.

This table shows that there have been assisted by this Department during fifteen years some 45,084 men, having 84,631 dependants, reaching a total of 129,715 persons benefited. This year the number of the men forwarded to the railways has been so unusual that it more than doubles the count of those sent to private work; but the people sent to private employment this year is greatly in excess of the co-operative worker on the railway a twelvemonth ago. Another point is that while for a decade the married men assisted exceeded the single men, the opposite position has been reached, and the single men outnumber the married men in more than double proportion. Factories. The increase of factories and of workers therein for the last twelve years is as follows :— Year. Factories. Increase. Factory Workers. Increase. 1895 ... ... ... 4,109 ... 29,879 1896 ... 4,647 538 32,387 '2,508 1897 ... ... ... 5,177 530 36,918 4,531 1898 ... ... .. 5,601 424 39,672 2,754 1899 ... ... ... 6,286 685 45,305 5,633 1900 ... ... ... 6,438 152 48,938 3,633 1901 ... ... ... 6,744 306 53,460 4,522 1902 ... ... ... 7,203 459 55,395 1,935 1903 ... ... * ... 7,675 472 59,047 3,652 1904 ... ... ... 8,373 698 63,968 4,921 1905 ... ... ... 9,123 750 67,713 3,745 1906 ... ... ... 9,881 758 70,403 2,690 Total increase ... ... 5,772 ... 40,524 This year's increase is largely composed of workers situated in Wellington and Dunedin. In Christchurch there is a decrease in the number both of factories and of persons employed; but the lesser number is probably caused by a shift in the local economic position, since the factory fees collected were £7 more than last year. This is interpreted to show that the small factories have been absorbed by larger establishments, better adapted, perhaps, to more extensive use of machinery, since the fees of small factories are merely nominal. The overtime worked has been considerable, but cannot accurately be compared with that of former years, because by the help of statutory regulations the record is now more complete than it was previously possible to obtain : — Women and Boys. Hours worked. Men. Hours worked. Auckland ... 1,685 46,016 563 43,263 Wellington ... 1,614 37,146 952 63,614 Christchurch ... 2,405 60,681 1,622 64,059 Dunedin ... 1,198 37,080 785 104,071 Totals ... 6,902 180,953 3,922 275,007 This shows an average of twenty-six hours overtime each worked by women and boys, and of seventy hours worked by the men. Overtime as worked at present has few evils from the point of view of the workers' health, as the restriction to certain days, together with constant and close supervision given by the Inspectors of Factories to the question of the strength and endurance of the young people required to work overtime, prevent more than a very exceptional case (if any) of excessive strain. The economic point of view of overtime—viz., its militating against the employment of outsiders—has at present little bearing on the subject, as in the trades which have used the permits for overtime trained hands have not been obtainable from outside to take the temporary place of those at work. The accidents in factories number 529. Few were of a serious nature, but eight were fatal, and occurred in spite of precaution being taken to prevent casualties. It is difficult to suggest more strict enforcement of guards and protections for machinery, unless the efficiency of the machinery is to be paralysed. In the case, however, of two fatal accidents which occurred in Auckland, both taking place in elevators, I recommend that some more stringent regulation be made for those using such machines, and that penalties be inflicted on persons disregarding notices that certain lifts are to be used only for goods and not for the conveyance of human beings, as the practice seems common to regard such notices as being mere matters of form. In Auckland, Dunedin, and Wellington, Chinese laundries appear to have gained an undesirably secure footing. In Dunedin there are twenty-one European and twenty-three Chinese laundries. Asiatics probably have their uses, since they have acquired a share of public patronage, but their establishment in such a business is a thing to be regretted, since laundry-work is often the refuge of poor widows and other women who have hitherto found in the occupation refuge from destitution. The

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