H.—ll

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During February and March last large parlies of women and girls were organized, at the request of the Hop-growers' Association and private employers, by the Department for hop- and fruit-picking work in the Nelson and Motueka districts. Owing to the success of the Department's efforts it, is expected that most of the engagements of the kind made in the future will be effected by this branch, acting in conjunction with the Nelson office. Nelson. Miss Emerson reports : — There has been a continuance of the difficulty in obtaining domestic workers for private homes. The average girl objects to taking up domestic duties in homes where there arc young children, and these are. of course, the homes where help is most needed. Day-workers have, however, been fairly easy to obtain, and the assistance thus given prevents the difficulty of obtaining regular domestic help from becoming as acute as it would otherwise be. The labour required for the hop-picking season was largely engaged through the Department. The apple industry has grown very rapidly, and affords scope for women workers in both the picking and the grading of the fruit. The work of grading is easily acquired, and women could earn from .£1 10s. to £2 weekly. This work follows directly after hop-picking, and the prospect of continuous work for women for several months of the year is therefore good in this district. During the period 905 applications were registered—6B4 from employers and 221 from employees; 208 of the latter were placed at suitable employment. Christchurch. Mrs. Way reports: — There have been 1,439 applications from employers and 404 from employees. Of the latter. 336 have been placed in suitable positions. Many of the unsuited applicants have been quite unfitted for the class of work applied for. The difficulty of securing domestic help is still being keenly felt, and it is to lie regretted that so few of the new arrivals come here, as they are eagerly sought for. Dunedin . Miss Hale reports : — There were 923 applications registered —630 from employers and 293 from workers. Of the latter, 262 were placed in employment, Tn addition forty-seven persons applied who had been previously assisted during Hie year and were again found employment. The domestic problem—viz., the dearth of workers—remains unsolved, especially in private houses. With so many other avenues of employment open to women workers to-day domestic service fails to attract, notwithstanding that a good deal has been done to make household duties more attractive, in the matter of outings, higher wages, the introduction of the vacuum cleaner, electric iron, and other accessories which materially assist in the general work of a home. The tendency to employ day-workers is increasing, and gives employment to a number of women whose husbands have gone to the war or who from other causes are the sole support of their children. This does not. however, relieve or assist the overburdened mother in the country.

EXTRACTS FROM REPORTS OF CONCILIATION COMMISSIONERS. The Conciliation Commissioner for the Northern and Taranaki Industrial Districts (Mr. T. Harle Giles) dealt with twenty-seven separate trade disputes. Of these, twelve disputes were fully settled, seven substantially settled, and eight were referred to the Arbitration Court as unsettled. The Conciliation Commissioner for the Wellington, Nelson. Marlborough, and Westland Industrial Districts (Mr. P. Hally) dealt with forty-seven disputes. Of these, thirty-three complete recommendations and agreements were made, nine were substantially settled, and in live cases the whole dispute was sent to the Court. The Conciliation Commissioner for the Canterbury and Otago and Southland Industrial Districts (Mr. J. B. Triggs) dealt with twenty-seven disputes, of which sixteen were fully settled by the Councils, seven were substantially settled, and the remaining four disputes were sent to the Court unsettled. The Commissioners also presided at various conferences and meetings of employers and workers, and thus settled many minor differences. Reference is made in the reports to the decision of the Arbitration Court on the outbreak of war not to make awards in relation to disputes unless complete agreements were made through the Conciliation Councils. This decision hail the effect of causing employers, in many instances, to decline to consider the claims of the unions, and as a consequence a number of disputes which under ordinary circumstances would have been disposed of were withheld until the Court decided to resume the hearing of the disputes,