H—4s

(&) Return showing earnings of unionists for year ending 31st March., 1947, analysed according to income groups (Appendix, page 68). (c) Return showing average total earnings, profit distributions, ordinary and overtime hours, weeks and holidays worked by unionists, with highest earnings for year ending 31st March, 1947 (Appendix, page 69). There has been a further drop in the average wage from £lO 6s. 7d. per man-week for the year 1945-46 to £9 13s. sd. per man-week for the year 1946-47. This drop is due to the reduction in the amount of overtime worked. The total amount of earnings for union waterside workers at all main and secondary ports for the year ended 31st March, 1947, was £2,346,497, as against £2,535,475 for the year ended 31st March, 1946, a reduction of approximately £189,000. 7. GUARANTEED WAGE—GUARANTEED DAILY AND WEEKLY MINIMUM PAYMENTS Prior to the introduction of the daily and weekly minimum payments, a guaranteed wage of £3 6s. per week applied to "A " Grade workers at the ports of Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. This guarantee did not provide any material benefit to the great majority of waterside workers, and payments made from April, 1946, to the 10th March, 1947, was only £69 for the four ports. In February, 1947, the Commission issued an order providing for the payment of daily and weekly minima to " A " Class union waterside workers (who complied with the conditions prescribed by the Commission) at all main and secondary ports on the following basis : (a) DAILY MINIMUM PAYMENT Unionists are guaranteed work in each day, Mondays to Fridays inclusive, to the value of two hours at the ordinary-time general-cargo rate of pay or, failing provision of such work, are entitled to be paid that sum subject to their registering attendance at the Commission's Labour Engagement Bureau. (6) WEEKLY MINIMUM PAYMENT Unionists are guaranteed work in each week to the value of £5 or, failing provision of such work, are entitled to have their wages made up to that sum. The daily minimum payment is taken into account in determining payment of the weekly minimum guarantee, out a unionist is entitled to receive his daily minimum payment although his earnings may exceed £5 in the week. The above guaranteed minimum payments operated as from the 10th March, 1947, except at the ports of Gisborne and Oamaru, where the guarantees operated as from the 17th March, 1947, and the 30th June, 1947, respectively. It was estimated by the Commission at the time of the introduction of these guaranteed payments that the cost would be approximately £lOO,OOO per annum. The actual cost for three weeks' operation to 31st March, 1947, was £2,232 (£1,524 daily minimum and £7OB weekly minimum). Detailed payments at each port are shown in table published in the Appendix (page 64), 8. ACCOMMODATION AND AMENITIES Every endeavour has been made by the Commission to implement the undertaking given by the Government to do everything within its power, having regard to the present situation so far as building labour and materials are concerned, to speed up the provision of accommodation and amenities for waterside workers. Considerable progress has been made during the year. The position at each port is summarized as follows :—-

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