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(2) Engineering-factory.—ln this firm both labour turnover and absenteeism were on a relatively high level. During the latter part of 1943 the firm lost 33 per cent, of its productive staff, in spite of the fact that it was an essential undertaking, and many of these could not be replaced owing to the difficult man-power situation. The absence rate stood at 7-7 per cent., which must be considered high for a staff composed almost entirely of males. An investigation was made into the underlying causes of the high labour turnover and absenteeism. (3) Boot and Shoe Factory.—A three months' investigation was made into layout, working-conditions, and the handling of personnel. To illustrate the principles of good layout as a means of reducing the fatigue and irritations of work, a completely new layout was devised and installed in one department. Instead of working in hampering clutter and confusion, work in this department now passes freely from one operation to the next. Work is less fatiguing in many cases. The packers especially are obviously pleased with their new workplace, and say that their job is much easier and that there is less confusion. Whereas before many of the operatives were working in draughty positions and a poor light, there are now few complaints of draughts and natural light is much better. It is now possible to work by natural light most of the time instead of artificial. Follow-up inquiries have shown that the layout is proving most satisfactory, and the output of the room has considerably increased. A survey of ventilation and heating showed that improvements in both were required. Suggestions for improved bench designs and bench layouts were made. Many informal talks wore held with supervisors about the handling of their personnel. Particularly in the rooms where females constituted the greater part of the staff there was a lack of discipline and a general weakness in the methods of handling the girls. Assistance wss also given in the selection of staff for supervisory positions. (4) Household-appliances Factory.—The investigation was principally concerned with an analysis of the bonus system in operation in the firm. The main principle of the system was that the worker got a bonus equal to one-half of the money value of the time she saved on any job, each job having a standard time allocated to it. The bonus system proved popular in principle with the girls, and they were satisfied with the standard times fixed for the job. There was no evidence that the system caused undue speedingup. For the supervisory and administrative staff, however, it was a constant source of trouble. It was extremely difficult to make all the adjustments which in fairness should have been made to allow for machine hold-ups, production delays, and various other accidental circumstances. From the workers' point of view insufficient attention had been paid to explaining the system in detail to newcomers. The investigation showed that unless great attention is paid to the details of administration, and unless it can be run in an impersonal, objective manner, the advantages of a bonus system are apt to be considerably minimized by attendant disadvantages. (5) Foodstuffs-factory.—Advice given on personnel records, and a sample record card drawn up. (6) Textile-factory.—A. survey of factory ventilation. The survey revealed a very unsatisfactory state of affairs. Average air velocities were only 29 ft. per minute, although temperatures in the factory averaged nearly 80° F. At this temperature, velocities in the neighbourhood of 100 ft. a minute would be required to keep the atmosphere reasonably fresh. Relative humidity averaged 79-7 per cent, in the factory, whereas outside the factory the average humidity during the same period was 64 per cent. Such high humidities as that found in this factory are definitely exhausting. Window openings were insufficient to provide satisfactory ventilation, amounting to less than 1 square foot of opening to 100 square feet of floor area. (7) Electrical Factory.—An experiment was carried out on the use of certain standard psychological tests as a measure of the proficiency of apprentices. Twenty-two boys were tested with a series of tests. The results were inconclusive. (8) Clothing-factory.—A series of special selection tests were given to a group of new employees at a small branch clothing-factory. The girls were all inexperienced, and the firm's problem was to allocate them to the most suitable jobs for training. The selection tests greatly assisted the firm in making the best possible placements. (9) Dressmaking Workroom.—A survey covering working-conditions, organization of work, social organization, methods of training, and music at work. (10) Dehydration Factory.—A survey covering working-conditions, working-methods, and personnelmanagement. (11-17) Psychological Examinations.—Examinations involving the psychological testing and interviewing either of existing members of staff or of applicants were carried out for six firms. Contact with Firms During the year personal contact has been made with seventy firms, and fifty-one factories have been inspected. The number of firms on the Division's mailing list now stands at about five hundred, and correspondence and queries have been received from a considerable proportion of them. Factory Seating The need for better factory seating in New Zealand was referred to in our first annual report. The adjustable chair mentioned in this report is now in production, after rather long delays caused by material and man-power difficulties, and a number of improvements have been incorporated into the latest models. An illustrated booklet on factory seating (" Good Seating pays a Dividend," price 3s. 6d.) has been issued and may be obtained from the office of the Division. Relations with other Bodies During the year the work of the Division has obtained considerable recognition overseas and we have been in contact with a number of overseas organizations. Reviews of our work have appeared in a number of overseas journals. Contact within the Dominion has been maintained with the Manufacturers' Federation and associations, the Employers' Federation, the Federation of Labour, the Standards Institute, the Employee Partnership Institute (Hamilton), the New Zealand Vocational Guidance Association, and with several Government Departments.

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