19

H.—ll

The awards and agreements actually in force as at the 31st March last totalled 4 45. and the following table shows the number operating in each industrial district: Northern (Auckland and Poverty Bay) ... .. J07 ■Wellington (including Bawke's Bay) ... ... ... Ill Canterbury ... ... ... ... 91 Otago and Southland ... ... ... ... ... 88 Taranaki ' ... ... ... ... ... 12 Marlborough ... ... ... ... .. 7 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... 9 Westland ... ... ... ... ... ... j 7 Other business dealt with is as follows : — Enforcements ok Awards, Industrial Agreements, etc. Cases taken by the Department for enforcement of awards, &c., total 433—viz., eight in the Arbitration Court and 425 in the Magistrates' Court. Of the total number 401 were successful Fines, £650 14s. It should be explained in regard to the cases dismissed that many of them were debatable or technical, and were therefore mostly test cases.

Cases taken by the Department (shown in Districts) for Enforcement of Awards, and of Miscellaneous Provisions of the Act.

In four eases defendants appealed to the Court of Arbitration, all of which appeals were dismissed. Four eases were also taken by unions (in Magistrates' Court). Total cases taken by Successful. . l"nsuccessful. Total. Unions ... ... ... ... ... 1 3 4 Grand totals ... ... ... ... 402 35 437* Fines— £ s. .1. Departmental cases ... ... ... ... ... 650 14 0 Union cases ... ... ... ... ... ... 0 5 0 Most of the eases taken under miscellaneous provisions of the Act were for failure to keep a wages and overtime liook, including three against employers for making wilfully false entries in the book. In one* instance a fine of £50 was imposed, as it was proved that defendant had, for a period, successfully misled the Inspector by the wilful falsification of his entries. (Defendant was also fined £10 for failing to pay award rate of wages.) Three were dismissed— (1) as there was some doubt in the evidence as to the keeping of the wages-book ; (2) (where an employer was proceeded against for dismissing a worker because, it was alleged, he was president of a workers' union) the evidence showed that the worker had not been legally appointed president of the union; and (3) (where an employee had been dismissed allegedly because he had acted as an assessor on a Council of Conciliation) the Magistrate held that defendant had other reasons than that alleged for dispensing with the services of the worker concerned.

* This total includes»strike and lockout cases as follow :— (v.) Six strike cases were against dredgemen in the gold-mining industry. Fines: two at £5, two at £3, one at 10s., one case dismissed. (These strikes took place during the preceding year. (6.) One case was against a sheepowner who had allegedly locked out shearers because they had refused to shear sheep which they considered to be " wet." The Magistrate convicted defendant and imposed a fine of £25. Defendant appealed to the Arbitration Court, which upheld the appoal (on the ground that the wetness was not due to rain but to perspiration).

District. Successful. Unsuccessful. Total. Northern Taranaki Wellington Marlborough Nelson Westland Canterbury Otago and Southland 182 10 108 1 7 1 52 40 12 12 194 10 120 I 7 1 52 48 8 Total cases taken by Department 401 32 433