H.—ll

XXIV

ton as compared with other centres for houses of the same sizes and classes and situated in city areas. The rents in Wellington were quoted as representing the index number 100, whilst in comparison Dunedin and Auckland ranged from 72 to 76 and Ohristchurch from 70 to 72. In the event of inquiries on a larger scale being made into this important question, on the lines already indicated, by the Government, the information already collected by the Department should prove of value. In this connection the following table showing the fall in the proportion of the rural population as compared with the urban population is exceedingly significant:—

Return showing the growth of Urban Population of New Zealand from 1881 to 1911.

or while the county population in 1881 was 150 to 100 in boroughs, in 1911 it was 99 to 100. Note. —A population of 500 is necessary to constitute a town district, and a population of 1,000 is necessary to constitute a borough. The population of town districts is included in the county population in the above figures. In all probability if they were included in the borough population instead, leaving the purely rural population in the counties, the figures would show a larger decrease in the rural population than is indicated. The Licensing Amendment Act, 1910. Registration of Barmaids. The duty imposed on the Department by section 36 of the above Act of registering barmaids was completed during the year. A total of 1,062 registrations was effected, and each person concerned was supplied with a certificate. Every care was taken that the applicants had complied with the provisions of the Act, the statutory declarations being verified by officers of the Department. A few cases of hardship came under notice —viz., where registration was necessarily refused on account of the applications not having been received by the Ist June, 1911, the date specified in the Act, also where by reason of illness or temporary absence a number of applicants who were bona fide barmaids had not served the required three months in hotel bars in New Zealand during the preceding year as required by the Act. Labour Journal. The Journal has been published regularly at monthly intervals. It has now reached its twentieth year of issue. Great care has been taken to give reliable information each month regarding the condition of trade and employment in the four chief centres and secondary towns of New Zealand. This information is found to be of great value to correspondents abroad. The reports on trade conditions from union secretaries are not sent in very regularly, and one is forced to the conclusion already expressed that unionists and workers generally are satisfied with the reliability of the reports supplied by the Department's Officers. isggpfi ~ "• - ;■ . . . ... .... . .. '... ;..;.... ;....., . . ...... _~ .._;.,. ;, , Other Publications. During the year Volume xii of " Awards, Recommendations, Agreements, &c, under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act " was published in parts. The bound volume, about to be published, contains a complete index of the various recommendations, agreements, awards, important interpretations, and enforcements under the Act since its inception to the 31st December,

Census. Counties. toroug] IS. Counties. Boroughs. Percentage. Proportion of County to Borough Population. Shipboard and Islands. .881 .886 .891 896 901 906 911 291,238 327,328 352,097 391,735 417,596 458,797 496,742 194,981 245,612 270,343 307,294 350,202 424,614 505,598 59-45 56-58 56-18 55-69 54-04 51-63 49-29 39-79 42-46 43-14 43-68 45-32 47-77 50-14 0-76 0-96 0-68 0-63 0-64 0-60 0-60 1-50 1-33 1-30 1-27 1-20 1-10 0-99