H.—ll.

The rents paid are to be found in the following schedule : — Rents (inclusive of Rates and Insurance) of Workers , Dwellings, New Zealand. Auckland — Number. 11/- to 11/6 per week .. .. ■• •■ ■• ..2 11/6 to 12/- per week .. .. .. .. •• ..19 12/- to 12/4 per week . . .. . . • • • • . . 3 24 Wellington— 11/- to 11/6 per week .. .. .. .. •• ..3 11/6 to 12/- per week .. .. .. ... •• ..7 12/- to 12/6 per week . . .. .. • • • • . . 15 15/- to 15/6 per week . . . . • • • • • • . . 7 17/- to 17/6 per week .. . . . . . • • • . . 4 18/3 per week .. . . . . . ■ • • • • . . 1 37 Christchurch — 9/- to 10/- per week .. . . . . • • • • .. 5 10/6 to 11/- per week .. . . ' .. . . • • ■ ■ 14 11/- to 12/- per week .. .. • • • • • • .. 5 24 Dunedin — 10/- to 10/6 per week . . . . .. ■ • • • . . 2 10/6 to 11/- per week .. .. .. •■ •• ..it 11/- to 11/6 per week .. .. .. .. • • . . 7 11/6 to 12/- per week .. .. .. .. .. •• 2 20 The Shearers' Accommodation Act. Under this Act inspection was made of the 224 shearing-sheds which were reported to be unsatisfactory during the general inspection made in 1908. I beg to bring again to your notice the recommendation I made last year that certain provisions of the sister-Act of Queensland should be incorporated in an amending Bill, as they are far in advance of our owti. The Chief Inspector of Factories in his report herewith is dealing with the detailed account of proceedings under our Act for last year. The Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act. Under this Act 39 cases were brought before the Court, a far less number than those of last year, in which 73 applications for compensation were made. To the persons partially incapacitated by accident £1,108 10s. 10d. has been paid, while by the widows and relations of those fatally injured £1,271 ss. has been received. Six persons received sums ranging from 3s. 6d. to 7s. per week until convalescence. A volume giving the details and judgments in the cases heard during the year is annually issued by this Department in February. It is entitled " Decisions under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act." In the monthly issue of the Journal of the Department of Labour a report of each case appears soon after the case is heard, and in a return given in this report the discs dealt with arc summarised. Two or three instances of cases having special interest may be cited, as follows : — A labourer employed in a quarry at Heathcote claimed that in loading metal into a dray his right leg was twisted at the knee, and necessitated amputation. Medical evidence showed that there had been an old injury to the limb, and his application for compensation was dismissed on the ground that the onus was on the claimant to prove that the injury had been caused by an accident arising out of and in course of his employment. .(Decisions, &c, Vol. vii, 1908. p. 40.) A claim for compensation was made for injury caused by a boulder rolling from the face of a quarry and striking an ankle-joint, necessitating amputation of the foot. The claimant at first thought the hurt slight, and, considering himself recovered from the injury, gave a receipt for £3 10s. in

xvi