H.—ll.

In the four chief cities, Auckland leads with the largest wages-sheet: Auckland, £253,508 ; Christchurch, £228,764 ; Wellington, £225,640 ; Dunedin, £192,780. If, however, we include with each city its surrounding industrial district, the distribution of wages is as follows : Wellington, £517,607 ; Auckland, £416,715; Canterbury, £341,596; Otago and Southland, £341,487. The coincidence between Canterbury and Otago in this matter is singularly close. The average wage of a shop-assistant, male or female, in New Zealand is £86 lls. 6d.—an advance on the average rate of last year, which was £82 10s. The rate of wage differs considerably in the chief cities, being in Wellington £98 18s. 5d., in Christchurch £92 3s. 4d., in Dunedin £88 lls. lid., in Auckland £83 18s. 10d. In the country districts a lower rate of wages is paid in the Northern and Taranaki Districts than in Wellington or in the South Island. As to persons employed in shops, the ratio of those under twenty-one years of age to every 100 of those over twenty-one (employers personally engaged included) is as follows : — Auckland City. Wellington City. Christchurch City. Dunedin City. Males .. .. .. 24-07 19-20 23-62 25-85 Females .. .. .. 54-28 42-50 47-16 43-18 There are fewer youths at work in Wellington than in the other cities, and fewer girls also. The ratio of those engaged under twenty-one years to every 100 of those over twenty-one, including employers actually engaged, for the whole of New Zealand is— for males, 22-13 ; females, 55-14. If the corresponding figures for factories be considered it will be noticed that there are more youths under age in the shops in proportion to men, and more women in the shops in proportion to girls, than is the ratio of employment at the same ages in factories. There is an advance in numbers of shop-assistants employed this year over those of last year as follows :— 1908. 1909. Increase. Males .. .. .. .. .. 14,477 14,625 148 Females .. .. .. .. .. 5,825 6,076 ' 251 Totals .. .. .. 20,302 20,701 399 There are 12,689 shops in New Zealand. The employers personally engaged and assistants in these together number 34,119, of whom 20,701 are shop-assistants. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. There is little doubt that in late years the Arbitration Act excited disfavour, even if we discount much that was said by disappointed men, and by some who by no means represented the solid silent opinion of the great body of labour in the Dominion. In spite of many and great advantages wrought by industrial arbitration, the delay in hearing cases —caused by what was practically the abolition of the Conciliation Boards —the advent of small strikes, and the publication of some disappointing awards, caused dissatisfaction on the parts of both employers and workers. It was thought necessary to fix by legislation the limits and meanings of such expressions as " strike " and " lockout," and also to differentiate between degrees of culpability in respect to such occurrences. The power to punish, and the extent of punishment for offences against the Act were also subjects of bitter controversy, some affirming the weakness of any law which did not insist upon such extremes as levy by distress warrant or personal

X

District. Males. Employees. Females. Emph >yers. III III I li si ■&.5S = S ■si II n Shops. I §! 1! Age 14-16. Age 17-20. Age 17-20. Age 21 and over. J i Auckland City Wellington City '.hristehureh City Dunedin City Northern Industrial District .. Faranaki Industrial District .. iVollington Industrial District.. klarlborough Industrial District S'elson Industrial District rVestland Industrial District .. Canterbury Industrial District )tago and Southland Industrial District Totals 240 200 283 208 251 96 339 44l 42 92 138 209 i 345 238 283 313 305 127 401 39 41 116 185 288 1,406 1,150 1,184 952 969 1 336 1,690 107 207 300 l>45 847 119 76 65 57 109 47 110 312 168 235 203 215 88 314 13 37 53 141 165 5981 449 432 389; 288 114 487 38 86 78 169 281 1,024 1,131 1,212 I 1,063 1.689 657 2,153 153 280 474 910 1,244 196 125 204 213 151 50 158 12 331 83 761 127 4,240 3,537 3,898 3,398 3,977 1.515 5,661 415 7341 1,223 2,309 3,212 572 592 819 738 838 292 996 53 137 265 456 581 661 570 531 509 923 344 1.136 90 145 273 474 694 1,233 1,162 1,350 1,247 1,761 636 2,132; 143i 282 538 930 1.275 £ 253,508 225,640 228,764 192,780 163,207 60,456 291,967 20,926 36,665 56,747 112,832 148.707 9 8 27 45 51 2,142 2,681 9,802 723 1,944 3,409 11,990 1,428 34,119 6,339 6,350 12,689 1,792,199