H.—ll

Overtime The extent to which overtime has been worked by women and boys employed in factory industries is disclosed by the following table : —

Prior approval of the Inspector is required, and extension is limited to 3 hours in any day, 2 consecutive days in any week, and 90 hours in any year (120 hours in exceptional cases arising from unforeseen circumstances). During the war emergency and pursuant to a resolution of the Industrial Emergency Council, Inspectors have permitted overtime in excess of the statutory limits, to the extent outlined above. Frequent inspections have, however, been made to determine that the health of the workers involved was not adversely affected. FACTORIES ACT Number of Factories and Factory Workers For the registration year 1944-45 the number of factories registered was 16,537 (previous year, 16,010 ; increase, 527). In these factories there were employed 15,114 working occupiers, 84,444 male employees, and 39,042 female employees, a total of 138,600 workers (previous year : 13,985 working occupiers, 80,369 male employees, and 38,245 female employees, a total of 132,599 workers). There is no marked variation in the numbers of workers employed in any particular trade, though a general upward tendency is evident. These figures are those ascertained at registration time —i.e., April, 1944. —though factories registered subsequently have been added and those known to be closed excluded. Accidents in Factories Preliminary figures for the 1944 year show a total of 6,582 (6,171 males and 411 females) reported accidents in factories (previous year, 7,591 ; decrease, 1,009). Details are—Age: Under 16, 98 ; 16-20, 1,036 ; 21-24, 881 ; 25-34, 1,925 ; 35-44, 1,381 ; 45-54, 704 ; 55 and over, 499 ; not stated, 58. Disability: Fatal, 14 ; permanent partial, 134 ; temporary, 6,434. Causes: Fixed machinery, 977; vehicles, 46; explosives, fires, and hot substances, 173; poisonous and corrosive substances, 186 ; electricity, 11 ; falls of persons, 563 ; stepping on or striking against fixed objects, 406 ; falling or otherwise moving objects, 117 ; falls of earth, 2 ; handling of objects, 2,504 ; hand-tools, 1,283 ; miscellaneous, 314. Time lost: 122,529 days (previous year, 145,706 days). Compensation paid : £98,225 14s. 7d. The following particulars are given of the fatal accidents that occurred during the 1944 year : — As a result of falling while riding in an open goods-lift, a worker had his head and shoulders caught between the floor of the lift and the bottom of the sill of the first floor. A chemist was working alone in a laboratory testing soap when an alcohol container ignited, causing considerable burns and shock. During the operation of a circular saw at a timber-mill a piece of timber flew from the blade of the saw and struck the sawyer on the head. A worker was crushed by a fall of superphosphate. He was standing near the superphosphate stack when the fall occurred as a result of nearby operations. A worker was stacking packets of wallboard by means of a motor-hoist when the stack he had just completed toppled over and fell on him, crushing his head. A worker was engaged in building a motor log-hauler and had jacked it up on to one side so that he could work underneath. While he was lowering the log-hauler to the ground, the jack slipped and the log-hauler struck the worker, causing extensive fracturing of the pelvis. A youth was proceeding down a passage-way when a tin containing a staining liquid with a methylated spirits base ignited, severely burning him. A worker was employed in unloading logs from a truck on to the skids at a sawmill. He omitted to secure the outer log with a timber-jack, and when the chains were released it slipped and crushed his head. An electrical engineer was electrocuted while testing a transformer. He had inadvertently omitted to open an isolating switch. As a worker was climbing over the slide rails of a break-down bench immediately behind the back of a circular saw, he slipped and fell on to the saw, receiving a severe cut in the groin and injuries to his right hand.

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AT i n r> ttt i • tt • Number of Excess Hours m . i tt Number of Persons Working Hours in , A e -> Year. Total Hours. ™ n T i m • worked by Persons referred of Le § al Maximum. to m p/ eoeding Column . 1939 .. .. 950,140 1940 .. .. 1,241,807 1941 .. .. 1,413,157 1942 .. .. 1,549,635 3,936 (i.e., 3,902 women and 34 235,212 boys) 1943 .. .. 1,776,462 5,025 (i.e., 4,983 women and 42 455,934 boys) 1944 .. .. 1,786,359 4,250 (i.e., 4,228 women and 22 392,493 boys)