H.—ll

VIII

Shops and Offices. The number of shops existent in New Zealand during the year (Ist April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908) was 11,981. In these shops 32,306 persons were engaged in business, but this included working employers as well as shop-assistants, the latter of whom number 20,302. The following table shows the number of shops, persons engaged, assistants, fee., in each of the four cities and in each industrial district (excluding the four cities): —

Wages in Shops. i~] The money paid in wages in shops amounted to £1,675,105. This sum divided among the 20,302 shop-assietants gives an average of £82 10s. as the annual earnings of the New Zealand shop-assistant, j I The following table shows —{1) Number of hands employed in shops, excluding employers ; (2) total wages ; and (3) annual wage of employees : —■

In this table it may be noted that Wellington pays its shop-assistants more highly than any other of the chief towns, and also that the wages of the shop-assistants in the country are considerably lower than those paid in the shops of cities.

District. Nui Without [ Assistants. iber of Shops. Number inch of Persons [ding Empl< engaged, >yers. Total Wages paid during Year ending 31/3/07. With Assistants. Total. Males. Females. Total. Auckland City Wellington City ... Christchurch City Dunedin City Northern Industrial District Taranaki Industrial District Wellington Industrial District! Marlborough Industrial District Nelson Industrial District ... Westland Industrial District ' Canterbury Industrial District]: Otago and Southland Industrial District § 520 621 628 668 768 290 823 660 564 602 i 566 861 317 1,014 1,180 1,185 1,230 1,234 1,029 607 1,837 2,999 2,609 2,860 2,516 3,036 1,127 3,939 1,160 809 889 941 708 284 934 4,159 3,418 3,749 3,457 3,744 1,411 4,873 £ 221,097 212,087 228,713 189,215 149,830 54,521 259,454 50 87 137 307 71 378 16,939 148 263 441 136 258 444 284 521 885 537 965 1,853 157 L98 418 694 1,163 2,271 37,157 51,779 113,981 599 653 , 1,252 2,386 603 2,989 140,332 5,819 6,162 11,981 25,134 7,172 32,306 1,675,105 * Not including Auckland City including Christchurch City and hu and suburln burbs. t Not iucluc S Not including Dui ling Wellini aedin City s ;ton City and suburbs. :iid suburbs. ♦Not

| District. Males. Males. Employees. Females. Ei j I mployees. Females. k Total. Total. Wages paid during the Year ending 31st March, 1907. ■ Wages paid during the Year ending 31st March, 1907. Average Annual Wage per Employee. Auckland City Wellington City Christchurch City Dunedin City Northern Industrial District Taranaki Industrial District Wellington Industrial District Marlborough Industrial District Nelson Industrial District Westland Industrial District Canterbury Industrial District Otago and Southland Industrial District 1,922 1,517 1,834 1,509 1,559 557 2,247 169 294 483 1,067 1,309 986 692 705 690 569 236 804 62 129 153 344 455 2,918 2,209 2,539 2,199 2,128 793 3,051 231 423 636 1,411 1,764 221,097 212,087 228,713 189,215 149,830 54,521 259,454 16,939 37,157 51,779 113,981 140,332 £ s. d. 75 15 5 96 0 0 90 11 7 86 1 0 70 8 0 68 15 1 85 0 1 73 6 7 87 16 9 81 8 3 80 15 7 79 11 1 14,477 5,825 i 20,302 1,675,105 82 10 0