H.—ll

XXXII

It was found necessary to take ten cases before the Court on account of employers failing to notify the Inspector of their intention to erect scaffolding above the height of 16 ft. Nine favourable judgments were obtained, and one case was dismissed. Penalties amounted to £12, with costs. A separate detailed report is furnished by the Inspector of Scaffolding. Workers' Compensation Act. The benefits of this Act to the workers have now become generally known, and are very much appreciated by them, especially by those who are employed at dangerous callings. There has been a tendency to accept settlements without recourse to the Arbitration Court, probably on account of the amounts offered by the employers or the insurance companies 'Doing considered equitable. The schedule of the Act, which stipulates an amount to be paid for the loss of certain limbs, joints, &c, ami the handy little book recently edited by Mr. Jolliffe, of the Crown Law Office, enables one to readily compute the amount of compensation to be paid, and have probably had something to do with the many settlements made. General. The passing of the Workers' Dwellings Act of 1910, and the consequent taking-over of the whole of the administration of workers' dwellings, has added considerably to the work of this office. The amendment to the Shops and Offices Ac; bringing hotels, &c, under the Act and the special legislation in regard to the registration of barmaids have also been responsible for additional clerical and supervision work. At different periods of the year difficulty has been found in coping with the work, and it has been found necessary for considerable overtime to be worked. The record of correspondence shows that 4,946 letters, 596 telegrams, and 9,560 circulars were sent outwards. Conclusion. The thanks of the Department are due to the City Council's Inspectors for their assistance in connection with sanitary matters in or about factory or shop premises. The officers of this Department deserve thanks for their willing acquiescence in coping with the large amount of work which has been done. W. H. Hagcek. The Chief Inspector of Factories, Wellington. Inspector of Factories.

DUNEDIN. Sin, — Department of Labour, Dunedin, 18th April, 1911. I beg to submit my annual report on Hie administration of the various labour laws throughout the Dunedin district for the year ending -'list March, 1911. I.abour-conilit ions during the year have maintained a satisfactory level, although, as is usual iluring the latter part of the winter, a number of labourers were unemployed for some time. This can hardly be avoided, as the conditions in the country during the winter months are, of course, such that very little outdoor work can be undertaken. On the other hand, building tradesmen have for the most part been fully employed. This also applies to the iron, boot, and woodworking trades; in fact, it may be said that very few- competent tradesmen have lost time through slackness during the year. The order-tailoring trade has been busy most of the year, and a large amount of overtime has been worked. As regard:- female workers generally, most of the trades have been very busy, as the overtime records show, and, in fact, throughout the whole period employers in the clothing, woollen, and boot industries have conqilained that the dearth of female labour has considerably hampered their operations. The retail trades also have experienced a prosperous year, the business done being a distinct advance on that of previous years, while the Christmas trade is reported lo be a record one. The position may be summed up by saying that, generally speaking, it has been a year of good solid business and general prosperity. The Factories Act. There have been 1,193 factories registered during the year, an increase of 111 over the previous period. Overtime. —A very large amount of overtime has been worked, principally by females in the clothing trades; many applications for overtime bad to be refused owing to the limit provided in the Act having been reached. The following shows the trades working the most overtime: Tailoring and clothing factories, 711 females and lads under sixteen years of age worked a total of 29,125 hours; biscuit and confectionery making, 199 women and lads under sixteen years worked 8,570 hours; dressmaking and millinery, 440 poisons worked 6,715 hours. The total overtime for women and boys under sixteen years of age was —2,192 persons, 72,610 hours. Permits to Young Persons to work in Factories. —490 permits were issued to young persons under sixteen years to work in factories—viz., to 210 boys and 280 girls. In this connection I regret to state that, notwithstanding the facilities provided for free education, many parents neglect the opportunity, and permits have to be refused because the children have not passed the