H.—ll

Shops and Shop-assistants Acts. These Acts have generally worked smoothly during the year. The fixing of the half-holiday caused some feeling locally: the larger shopkeepers, who employ assistants, preferring Saturday afternoon ; the small shopkeepers, who employ no assistants, preferring Wednesday, which was fixed upon. The whole of the assistants are in favour of Saturday afternoon. There were 3 prosecutions and 3 convictions for failing to close on the half-holiday. Servants' Begistry Offices Act. There are 2 persons licensed and carrying on business under this Act, and, I think, with satisfaction to all concerned. I have received no complaints from those seeking or obtaining employment, nor those employing labour through these offices. The Act is working well, and the law is well observed. Labour. No applications for employment were made to this office during the year. The town and district has been very prosperous. Every industry has shown signs of prosperity. The building trade and sawmilling industry especially so. There are 20 sawmills operating in this district, which gives employment to a very large number of men. Local skilled and unskilled labour has been fully employed, and bushfelling and road-making in the outlying districts absorbed all the unskilled casual labour looking for employment, and no men willing to work have been, to my knowledge, a day idle. Both labour and capital have had a prosperous year. A. Cbuickshank, Sergeant, E. Tregear, Esq., Department of Labour, Wellington. Inspector of Factories. HONTEEVILLE. Sir,— Hunterville, 31st March, 1903. I have the honour to report for your information that during the year ended the 31st March, 1903, the Factories Act has worked most satisfactorily to both employer and employed, and there has not been a single dispute between masters and men in this district, which speaks for itself. I have taken care to keep the employers and employees informed of the various amendments to the labour laws, and generally I find the masters are willing enough to meet all reasonable demands made upon them. There have been no complaints under the Shop-assistants Act, but that is probably owing to there being so few assistants employed in Hunterville. The Shearers' Accommodation Act is fairly well attended to now. During the past season I paid my annual visit of inspection to most of the sheds in the Hunterville district, and find that the accommodation provided for shearers is very much superior to that provided four or five years ago, and I think masters are beginning to see that to provide men with comfortable sleeping and dining accommodation is really serving their own interests by the increased work done. During the season just passed dairying has taken a great hold upon the district, and numbers of the small farmers are now dairying who two years ago were rearing sheep. The number of dairy factories in the district has not increased, but the output has increased enormously. The work usually provided for the swagging element has practically come to an end in this district, as the bushfelling has all been done, except close up to Taihape, which appears to absorb all the men seeking work. There have been no prosecutions in this district during the year for any evasion of the labour laws. In conclusion. I can safely say that the labouring-classes, at least in this district, are in a much better position now than they were a few years ago. Wμ. Gbay, Inspector of Factories. E. Tregear, Esq., Chief Inspector of Factories, Wellington.

WANGANUI. Sir, — Department of Labour, Wanganui, Ist April, 1903. I have the honour to present to you my report for the year ending the 31st March, 1903. Factories. I have registered 141 factories and workrooms this year, employing 18 boys and 6 girls under sixteen years of age, and 748 males and 169 females over that age, making a total of 941 hands. Certificates of fitness to work in factories have been granted to 10 boys and 3 girls under sixteen years of age. Overtime warrants under section 2 of " The Factories Act Amendment Act, 1902," have been issued to 13 factory and workroom owners to work 115 females and boys 1,438 hours. Fortyfour adult males have worked (approximately) 1,621 hours. I cannot give a correct amount of the number of adult males, nor the hours they work, for the overtime is mostly done by tailors, who are on piecework, and no record is kept by the factory-owners. Three accidents have been reported, all of which were of a severe nature. There has been nine prosecutions, all of which were against the same person. Eight were withdrawn and a fine imposed in the other. Shops and Shop-assistants Act. This Act is working well. The only complaint that has reached me is the one I have mentioned in my previous reports—viz., the right shopkeepers have of bringing their employees back to work at night. iii—H. 11.

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