H.—ll

2

Since the establishment of the Department in 1891 the following have received practical assistance : —

The number assisted during the past year shows a decrease on last year's figures of 1,537. Of the amount of .£384 repayable by workers for fares advanced, the high percentage of the past five years ending March, 1915—viz., 97 per cent.—has been nearly maintained, the precise proportion to 31st March, 1916, being 96'5 per cent.

Persons assisted by men's Employment Bureaux fro 1st April, 1915, to 31st March, 1916 (in Occupations).

Domestic Servants and others Assisted by Women's Branches from Ist April, 1915, to 31st March. 1916. Auckland. 610j Wellington, 806; Nelson, 225; Christchureh, 323; Dunedin. 22,8: total, 2,192. Factories Act. The usual annual tables showing the number of workers in the various manufacturing industries are omitted this year. Their place will be taken by the more valuable data mentioned on page 5 of last year's report relating to the five-yearly wages census. This information is now being collected, and will be compiled as opportunity offers. There were thirty-two prosecutions during the year. Convictions were obtained in all cases. Overtime. The overtime worked by females and boys in the fifteen principal towns during 1915—16 amounted to 432,250 hours, as against 296,703 hours worked in 1914-15. This very large increase of 135,547 hours is mainly contributed to by those trades engaged in the manufacture of articles of military requirement. In ammunition-manufacturing, overtime amounting to 41,534 hours was worked, as against 20,186 hours during the previous year ; in woollen-milling the figures are 41,599 hours, as against 13,338; hat and cap making shows an increase of about 75 per cent., and clothing and boot manufacturing, dressmaking, and printing also show substantial inoreases. A large amount of overtime was also worked in these and other industries by males over sixteen years of age, but no record of same is obtained. Certificates of Fitness to Boys and Girls to Work in Factories. During the past eight years we have called attention to the proportionate decrease year by year in the number of boys and girls that have sought employment in factories, and this decrease has taken place notwithstanding the continued demand by employers for such workers. For the year 1915-16, however, there has been an increase of 275—viz., from 2,088 to 2,363, comprising 1,100 boys (increase 148) and 1,263 girls (increase 127). This increase is no doubt due to the fact that employers generally, but chiefly in the clothing trades, have had their adult staffs so greatly depleted by enlistments that they have been willing to pay comparatively high rates of wages to young and untrained workers. The growing introduction of machinery in so many trades has also made it possible to employ young persons whose duties are easily learned. Care is, of course, exercised by Inspectors in all cases to see that the law is strictly observed regarding educational qualifications and the nature of the work (in respect of employment of young persons where machinery is used, &c).

Year. .891-1915 (twentv-four years) ... .915-16 ... Total. Married. 109,524 | 38,211 5,978 2,530 Qi.,,vi„ Private Government Single. Dependants. Work Work. 71,313 141,346 49,317 ! 60,207 3,448 8,097 2,549 j 3,429 74,761 149,443 51,866 63,636 Totals 115,502 I 40,741 74,761

1 I ■ . I __ -_ ... . Occupations. *J umbe f j *"?$£, Single Married. I and Widowers. Number of Persons Dependent. Number sent Number sent to Private to Government Employment. Works. I j I Bricklayers and Plasterers 17 5 Carpenters .. .. 396 216 Engineers . . . . 9 19 Farm hands . . . . ' 43 207 Hotel hands .. .. 99 170 Labourers .. .. 1,736 2,658 Miners .. . . 46 50 Painters .. .. 88 32 Stonemasons . . . . 5 5 Miscellaneous . . .. 91 86 Totals .. .. 2,530 3,448 51 1,415 21 107 255 5,629 148 282 19 170 4 18 121 491 22 6 242 8 158 III 1,770 2,624 62 34 29 91 6 4 135 42 8,097 2,549 3,429 [ Note.—The carpenters and also the hotel hands sent to Govi camps. irnment work we J re mostly employed at the military