11.- 11

6

(2) The earlier hours (if any) fixed for the same centres in awards of the Court of Arbitration. (3) The hours fixed elsewhere by the traders themselves by requisition of the majority in any trade. (4) The weekly half-holiday from 1 o'clock applies throughout the whole of the Dominion, except that certain trades (fruiterers, confectioners, &c.) are exempted. Considerable difficulty is still, however, experienced regarding shopkeepers who are engaged in more than one class of business for which different hours of closing or selling are prescribed. The chief examples are —fruiterers and confectioners, for whom no closing-hours are fixed, but who sell tobacconists' requisites or seeds or plants. The difficulty has been met to some extent by the partitioning of the shops. INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION ACT. Work done under the Act during the Year 1928-29. Industrial agreements filed .. .. . . .. .. 25 Recommendations of Councils of Conciliation .. .. . . 60 Awards of the Court of Arbitration .. . . .. . . . . 56 The awards and industrial agreements actually in force on the 31st March, 1929, total 471 (last year 472). The reason for this reduction is merely that in one instance an award has taken the place of two previous separate awards in the same industry. Work performed by Commissioners and Councils of Conciliation. Industrial agreements arrived at and filed as such under section 28 by parties through the Commissioner alone . . . . . . 15 Disputes dealt with by Conciliation Councils — Where industrial agreements were filed under section 28 . . 3 Where recommendations were fully accepted and filed as such . . 0 Where recommendations were fully accepted and forwarded to the Court to be made into awards.. .. . . . . . . 34Where recommendations were substantially accepted or agreements reached and referred to the Court to make awards .. . . 26 Where only minor recommendation or no recommendation was made .. 5 Total .. . . .. .. . • 83 The above figures indicate that 94 per cent, of the disputes dealt with by the Commissioners and Conciliation Councils were settled or substantially settled by them, though it should be noted that in some cases the settlements reached merely followed upon recently made awards of the Court or settlements through Commissioners or Councils in the same or similar industries elsewhere. The five disputes in which only minor recommendations or no recommendations were made were confined to the freezing and engineering and other metal industries, while the seventy-eight disputes which were settled or substantially settled covered forty-five industries. Wages generally paid. In the following trades the award rates for adult workers (other than foremen and leading hands) have generally been exceeded in the four chief centres to the extent shown (alterations since last year are as indicated) : —

Industry. Award Rates. Rates generally paid. . __ - ... , I - ' ' ■ . ... 7 - : . ' ~ = I Per Week. Per Week. Bakers and pastrycooks . . .. ! £5 .. .. £5 to £5 10s, Per Hour. Per Hour. Bootmakers .. .. .. 2s. 0£d. .. .. .. Now award rate. (Last vear. 2s. lid.) Carpenters and joiners .. .. 2s. 3d. and 2s. 3§d. .. 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. (Last year, 2s. 4d. to 2s. 6d.) Bricklayers . . . . .. 2s. 3M. to 2s. 4d. . . 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. (Last year, 2s. 9d.) Plasterers . . . . .. j 2s. 3Jd. to 2s. 4|d. .. 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. Plumbers .. .. •• 2s. 3d. .. ., .. 2s. 6d. Furniture trades .. .. .. i 2s. 3d. .. 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. (Last year, j 2s. 4|d.) Waterside workers . . .. j 2s. 2|d. . . . . 2s. 4d. Stonemasons .. .. ... 2s. 3|d. to 2s. 4-|d. .. 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. Electrical workers .. . . 2s. 2d. and 2s. 3d. .. 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. While for a number of years the rates generally paid frequently exceeded the award rates, the wages now being paid tend to fall towards the award rates.