LABOR DEPARTMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 173, 13 July 1908, Page 4

LABOR DEPARTMENT.

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE MINISTER INDUSTRY IN THE DOMINION.

Tlie annual report of tlie Secretary to the Department of Labour was presented to Parliament on Friday. Tim report states that throughout the Dominion skilled labour had a siiceessful year. Tlie building trade* have heen in full swing; the boot trade has regained its old footing of security; engineering has not been buoyant, but in most places trade was fairly" steady; cabinelmaking, tailoring, dressmaking, coachlmilding, agricultural implement making, confectionery and jam-making—all these trades have been busy, and some of them have had a record year; woollen mills have been running full time, and complain of shortage of workers; sawmilling generally has been brisk, but dill'ofs greatly with locality. Flaxmills, owing to the high price of llax, ran at foil speed for the first part of the year, but the sudden fall in value of the staple has made only too many of the mills close down for a time. Unskilled labour has very fully and generally found employment. In spite of the large numbers of immigrants, tens of thousands of whom have been quietly absorbed during the last five years, milking bands and farm labourers are scarce, and town labourers have had almost continuous employment. During the twelve months to March 31st, 1440 married men and 4800 single men were assisted by the department, making the respective totals since 1SIH!)2 23,280 and 35,502.

There lias been au increase of 798 factories and 33X0 workers therein since the previous returns were published. The number of faetorv workers i« tlte Dominion is 75..G25 an'cl tile number of factories 11.55G, The total amount of wages paid in factories was ,1:5,319.000, and the -average wage was £O7 His.' 11l c;K'U|jf the chief centres of population thePelias been a grave increase in tho hours of overtime worked. In no annual period previously recorded has the sum of such overtime reached I lie limit of last year's excess over working hours. In the cities of Auckland, AVeflington, Christehureli, and Dunedin, 733,018 hours have thus lieen added to the normal time of employment. Some of the increases will be noted as almost phenomenal; for instance the men in Dunediu, who the previous year worked 107,505 hours of overtime, have dining this last year nearly doubled that amount in their record of 194,804 hours. Tile money paid in wages in shops ' amounted to £1,075,105. This sum was I divided among 20,302 assistants, and gives a n average of £B2 10s. TARANAKI INSPECTOR'S REPORT. THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. In the course of his annual report to the Labour Department the Inspector of Factories at New Plymouth says:— "The dairying industry, the most important in the district, made a good start, and was progressing. in such a satisfactory manner until cheeked by the long spell of dry weather that there was every prospect of eclipsing all previous records in the quantity of output. Unfortunately, expectations as to quantity have not been realised. The high price obtained at the latter part of the year has, however, been some compensation for the restricted output of butter. The number of cheese and dairy factories is rapidly increasing. There are at present sixty butter factories and creameries, thirty cheese factories, and 305 private dairies employed in making butter. These factories, with very few exceptions. arc well "built, have, concrete iloors, and are equipped with modern machinery and appliances. The machinery and appliances are kept clean and bright, and tile employees will bear very favourable comparison in intelligence, physique, and cleanliness with any other body of workers employed ill any industry in tile Dominion.

"The various awards under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act in this district have been observed. There has been some difficulty with tin; agreement between the butter and ciicese factory employers and their employees. This agreement came into force in August, 1!)07, and employers have been very slow in complying with the conditions. The principal points (namely, wages, hours, overtime and holidays) have generally been very closely observed, but the erection of four-roomed cottages for married men, bathrooms for the use of employees, and suitable accommodation for single men, are matters which the directors of many companies have found great difficulty in complying with at once owing to the great inconvenience of making alterations in the factories during the busy season and the difficulty of obtaining carpenters to do the work. " A great many visits have l>een paid to the factories and creameries during the year, and wherever irregularities have occurred they have been pointed out to those in authority, with the result that the factories are rapidly coming into liue with the terms of the agreement."