H.—ll

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the disputes dealt with last year were settled without strikes taking place and without the necessity for ballots on the question of striking or accepting any recommendations made. Arising out of the fifty disputes filed under the Act to date only four ballots have been necessary, and in none of these cases did a strike take place in pursuance of such a ballot. In two instances an interruption of work occurred-—in one case, in 1917, before the dispute was filed, and the other, in 1918 (a "go slow" policy), during the investigation. Proceedings were taken in the first case, but in the second case no action was taken owing to difficulties of evidence. WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT. Sixty-nine cases were heard and determined by the Court of Arbitration, none of which calls for special mention. The Department has for some time been engaged in a general survey of the workers' compensation law in order to be in readiness for the introduction of improved legislation on the subject. SHEARERS' ACCOMMODATION ACT. The administration of this Act has again been carried out by the Department of Agriculture, whose Inspectors have greater facilities for carrying out country inspections. AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS' ACCOMMODATION ACT (INCLUDING ACCOMMODATION FOR FLAX AND SAWMILL WORKERS). Very few complaints have been received during the year regarding accommodation for these workers. Visits of inspection have, however, been made to these as opportunity occurred, and as a result twenty-two requisitions were served on proprietors for increased or improved accommodation, resulting in better conditions being provided for the workers affected. Most of the districts have recently been provided with motor-cars, and these will enable the Inspectors to carry out the country portion of their work much more expeditiously, at the same time saving considerable expense in money and time. SCAFFOLDING AND EXCAVATION ACT. The number of notices of intention to erect scaffolding in connection with the erection, demolition, or alteration of buildings, excavation for foundations of buildings, and for sewerage, water, gas, and electric supply, where such work was more than 5 ft. in depth, was 4,863. The extension of the lending facilities of the State Advances Department has caused a great increase in the number of buildings, with a corresponding increase in the work of inspection of scaffolding. The following figures, indicating the number of notices to erect scaffolding from 1914 onwards, are interesting, as they show how largely the work of the Inspectors of Scaffolding has increased through the operation of the new Scaffolding and Excavation Act of 1922 : 1913-14, 1,488 ; 1914-15, 1,453 ; 1915-16, 937 ; 1916-17, 888; 1917-18,706; 1918-19,666; 1919-20,897; 1920-21,955; 1921-22,946; 1922-23,1,649; 1923-24, 4,863. The number of inspections was 14,3.14, which is almost three times that of the previous year. The new Act has now been in force for over a year, covering a much wider field of building operations than previously. Builders and users of scaffolding are found, on the whole, to give the regulations careful attention. There were 184 accidents, an increase of thirty-nine on the previous year. The number of accidents in proportion to the number of jobs shows, however, a considerable reduction from the figures for the former year. It can be safely stated that the effect of enlarging the sphere of inspection work on all buildings and excavations where accidents are likely to occur has been a considerable diminution in the number of accidents. Of the accidents five were fatal. Particulars of the accidents calling for note are as follow : — (a.) A worker was engaged in stripping boxing from concrete-work when he overbalanced and fell. The worker was in the act of loosening the timber and had not taken steps to secure the boxing by means of rope to prevent it from falling if it came away suddenly. (b.) A man employed on a building in course of erection was instructed by the foreman to lay concrete blocks round the lift-well, situated on the third floor of the building. After giving his orders the foreman descended to a lower floor, and while doing so observed the employee falling down the lift-well (a distance of 44 ft.), at the bottom of which he was picked up a few minutes later in a dying condition. No one saw the accident, and it is surmised that the deceased grasped the loose end of the rope-tackle and it ran out under the strain. There were guard-rails around the lift-well, but one of them had been lowered, apparently by the worker. (c.) A contractor purchased an old bridge for the purpose of recovering the timber and iron from the bridge and selling it. With the aid of an employee he was dismantling the middle span of the bridge when, without warning, the bridge collapsed and fell into the river, 120 ft. or 130 ft. below. The contractor was thrown head first into the river-bed and killed. The employee clung to a rope until swept by falling debris into the river amongst timber and ironwork, but escaped with only slight injuries. It is difficult to say what caused the collapse of the bridge, but it is thought the clamps on the wire rope which held the bridge to the bank slipped, and the strain drew out the anchors, thus bringing about the accident. (d.) Some workmen were stripping off the casing from one of the piers of a new bridge when the top of the column broke off and a quantity of concrete fell on one of the workmen, killing him instantly. An earthquake had occurred during the early hours of the morning, and to this happening it is thought the breaking of the concrete was due.