ti.-Ji

3

Accidents in Factories.

The number of fatal accidents reported was three, the same as last year. Shops! and Offices Act. There were 264 prosecutions during the year. Convictions were obtained in 257 of the cases. Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. It might have been anticipated that the number of alleged breaches of awards and agreements reported to the Department would during the war be less than usual, but such has not been the case, and Inspectors of Awards have been kept busily engaged on this work. The number of disputes filed for investigation by Conciliation Councils and the Arbitration Court has also not shown a decrease, and there is a prospect of the work of the forthcoming year being plentiful. The business dealt with by Councils of Conciliation, Court of Arbitration, &c, under the Act during the year is summarized as follows : — Industrial, agreements ... ... ... ... ... ... 21* Recommendations of Councils of Conciliation... ... ... ... 134 Awards of Arbitration Court ... ... ... ... ... 102 Magistrates' Courts— Enforcements of awards, &c. — Conducted by Department ... ... ... ... ... 280 Conducted by unions ... ... ... ... ... 5 The awards and agreements actually in force as at the 31st March last totalled 488. The following table shows the work performed by Commissioners and Councils of Conciliation during the year : —

The above table shows that out of 177 disputes dealt with by them, 134 (or 75 per cent.) were settled or substantially settled by the Commissioners and Councils of Conciliation. Registration of Industrial Unions and Associations. During the year thirty-six industrial unions and associations were registered—viz., workers' unions, 23; employers' unions, 6; workers' associations (of unions), 4; and employers' associations (of unions), 3. The usual annual return (to the 31st December, 1915) of the unions registered under the Act, with their membership at that date, is published separately in parliamentary paper H.-11a, as required by the Act. For convenience of reference this will be bound with this report as Appendix H.-11a. Unions of employers show a decrease of eight with a membership decrease of 101 as compared with last year, while the number of workers' unions has decreased by fourteen, and the total membership of same has decreased by 6,330. This decrease is due partly to the war, and partly * Fifteen of these agreements were arrived at through the medium of Conciliation Councils and Commissioners.

Slight. Moderate. Serious. Fatal. Total. 1910-11 1911-12 1912-13 1913-14 1914-15 1915-16 638 792 837 879 747 837 145 167 84 165 17.1 160 77 12 50 11 32 8 52 8 46 3 65 3 872 1,020 961 1,104 967 1,065

Industrial Districts. r Ifir Northern and Taranaki. ana Tiiranj nm miai Wellington, Marlborough, Nolson, and Westland. Canterbury, and Otago and Southland. Totals. (Cc H (Commissioner Harle Giles.) ommisi tarle G (Commissioner Hally.) (Commissioner Triggs.) umber ol industrial agreements arrived at — Through Councils Through Commissioners umber of recommendations fully accepted a.nd forwarded to Court to be made into awards umber of recommendations substantially accepted and forwarded to Court to be made into awards umber of disputes in which no recommendation was made 3 22 If 22 2 7 34 16 2 1 32 1 4 11 88 31 9 12 134 43 Totals .. 61 61 68 IS 177