H.—U.

The Act also provides that agreements entered into by employers or workers to whom the Act applies may be filed with the Clerk of Awards and enforced for the period of their currency as if they were industrial agreements under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act {vide section 8). During the year, eleven agreements were filed pursuant to section 8, the agreement in each case being reached without recourse to a conference under the Act or to a Labour Disputes Committee. A Committee was, however, set up to deal with a dispute between the Auckland Chemical Manure Workers' organization and the employers. It was unable to effect a settlement, and the matter was subsequently dealt with by a Committee under the Strike and Lockout Emergency Regulations 1939, the decision being recorded in 1941 Book of Awards 409. Seventeen agreements wore in force on 31st M'arch, 1942. APPRENTICES ACT. This Act, which was passed in 1923, places the regulation of apprenticeships under the control of the Court of Arbitration. It also provides for the establishment of Committees representative of employers and workers, these to have such powers as may be delegated to them by the Court. At present there are some 132 Committees functioning throughout the Dominion. One hundred and forty-seven special inspections were made under this Act during 1941-42, and, in addition, inspections were carried out in the course of ordinary inspection and investigation work and while visiting factories, &c., in connection with other duties. Complaints were received regarding 251 alleged breaches of the Act, while 231 other breaches were discovered by the Department's Inspectors, 306 warnings being issued. There were nineteen prosecutions during the year for various breaches of the Act and the orders made thereunder, convictions being entered in all cases, and penalties amounting to £35 being imposed. With five exceptions, the prosecutions were against employers. The following table gives the approximate number of apprentices in the trades to which the Act now applies : —

Return showing Number of Apprentices employed in Skilled Trades, April, 1942.

The number of new contracts registered for the year ended 31st March, 1942, was 2,441, an increase of 467 on the previous year. Important trades contributing to this increase were carpentering, 42 ; electrical, 96 ; engineering, 162 ; motor engineering, 109. The Apprentices Act does not apply to females save in such cases and on such conditions as the Court may by order direct. An order in 1938 Book of Awards 1216 applied the Wellington Industrial District Dental Technicians' apprenticeship order to female apprentices. Suspension of Apprenticeship Emergency Regulations. Promulgated in 1939 (Serial number 1939/154), these regulations have been amended several times (Serial number 1940/208, Serial number 1941/90, Serial number 1941/212, and Serial number 1942/202). These regulations provide for matters as follows : — (1) Contracts of apprenticeship are suspended during the period that an apprentice is performing continuous whole-time service in His Majesty's forces and for six months thereafter. They thereupon lapse unless revived by notice by the apprentice to the employer : (2) An apprentice who commences military service and returns to his regular employment within a period of six months is entitled to regard every such period of absence from his regular employment as time served under the contract of apprenticeship for the purpose of calculating the wages payable to him under the contract. He is, however, to make up the time at the end of the period of apprenticeship : (3) The term " His Majesty's forces " embraces forces raised in New Zealand or by the Government of any territory forming part of His Majesty's dominions, and the term " military service " includes continuous whole-time service as a radio operator where such service is for the duration' of the war only and commences after 19th February, 1941, the time when the responsibility to carry additional radio operators in the New Zealand Mercantile Marine commenced : (4) Any trade work of the same class as that to which he is apprenticed performed by an apprentice during the period of his service with His Majesty's forces may be credited to the apprentice as time served under the contract of apprenticeship.

2—H. 11.

9

Number of Trade. Apprentices employed. Baking .. .. .. 288 Boatbuilding . . . . .. 29 Boilermaking .. .. .. 45 Bootmaking .. .. .. 336 Boot-repairing . . . . . . 34 Blacksmithing .. . . .. 13 Bricklaying .. .. .. 29 Carpentering .. .. .. 1,354 Clothing .. . . . . 206 Coachbuilding .. .. .. 323 Coopering .. .. .. 8 Curriers .. .. .. 1 Cycle-working . . .. .. 1 Dentistry .. .. .. 22 Electrical .. .. .. 766 Engineering .. .. . . 1,489 Motor engineering .. .. 1,250 Furniture .. .. .. 870 Furriers . . .. 2 Gardening .. • . . .. II

-W Number of Trade. Apprentices j employed. Hairdressing .. .. . . 109 Hatmaking .. .. .. 10 Jewellery . . .. . . 86 Leadliglit .. .. .. 20 Masonry . . . . . . 12 Moulding .. .. .. 109 Painting . . . . . . 302 Photo-engraving .. . . 60 Plastering .. .. .. 123 Plumbing .. . . .. 505 Printing .. .. .. 738 Saddlery .. .. .. 33 Sail and tent making .. .. 5 Tailoring .. .. .. 25 Tile-laying .. .. .. 2 Tinsmithing .. .. .. 193 Wicker-working .. .. 11 Sign and ticket writing .. .. 1 __ Total . .. 9,421__