H—ll

information from district to district concerning vacancies and labour available. In this connection a clearing-house system is operated which, for example, secures labour for seasonal work in Nelson from all over New Zealand and which enables vacancies on hydro-construction works to be filled from any district where there may be workers interested in accepting such employment. Accommodation has played an important part in providing labour in some industries and localities, but closely related aspects of departmental activity such as accommodation and immigration are dealt with separately in other sections of this report. (4) The fact that an average of only 92 workers was disengaged and seeking employment—i.e., enrolled with the Department for employment—during the year, reflects the speed with which placements were effected. Only 21 persons remained enrolled as disengaged persons seeking employment at the 31st March, 1950. (5) The 16,146 placements of men during the year included 282 who were semiemployable or who were over sixty years of age. The placement of semi-employable or disabled men constitutes an important responsibility of the Employment Service. The exploration by the Department of every possible avenue of suitable employment for these persons has been assisted by the sympathy and interest of employers, who have readily co-operated in making available such employment opportunities. (6) The labour demands of fruit, hop, and tobacco growers and for seasonal work in dairy and other farming as well as for manufacturing industries handling seasonal produce —viz., meat-freezing, dairy factories, and fruit and vegetable preserving—have received the closest attention of the Department, and considerable success has been achieved in assisting these industries. (b) Hostels and Camps (1) The provision of hostel and camp accommodation for industrial workers has been one aspect of the Department's function of improving the availability of labour in centres and industries where the need is greatest. As a result, the greatest concentration of hostels and camps is to be found in the Wellington and Lower Hutt districts followed by Auckland, the coal-mining areas, and in Christchurch and Dunedin. (2) Twenty-seven establishments are in operation providing accommodation for 3,175 workers of the following types : Industrial workers in selected industries. Immigrant workers. Miners. Male and female junior staff in the Public Service. Home aids. (3) The industrial workers' camps in Auckland, Wellington, and Lower Hutt originated during the war years and arose out of the inadequacy of accommodation to meet the influx of hundreds of workers who were directed from country districts or secondary towns to the main industrial centres. They have now a capacity for some 1,400 workers who would otherwise have been unable to transfer to the main industrial areas. The immigration hostels are maintained to ensure the smooth functioning of the immigration scheme. They are essentially transit accommodation and immigrants are expected to find private accommodation within a reasonable time after arrival. The hostels are necessary not only to accommodate immigrants until they can find other accommodation but also to facilitate a satisfactory allocation from the immigration drafts to the various centres. (5) Hostels for workers in coal-mines have been established at Huntly, Ohura, Granity, Reefton, and Ohai.

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