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Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. 1920-21. 1921-22. Industrial agreements filed .. .. .. .. ..31 16* Recommendations of Councils of Conciliation . . . . .. 250 142 Awards of the Court of Arbitration .. .. .. .. 220 150 * Inclusive of 1.1 made bstween parties without referonce to a Conciliation Commissioner or Council. The awards and industrial agreements actually in force on the 31st March, 1922, totalled 548 (last year 563). The smaller number of awards, agreements, etc., made during the year is accounted for by the fact that on the worker's side there was little to expect in the way of increased wages, and on the employer's side the Court's stabilization scheme rendered it useless for employers to apply for a reduction. The reduction in the number of awards and industrial agreements now in force is explained by one award having taken the place of a number of agreements in several instances.

Work performed by Commissioners and Councils of Conciliation during the Year.

Out of a total of 147 disputes dealt with by the Commissioners and Conciliation Councils, 112 (equal to 762 per cent.) were settled or substantially settled by them without recourse to the Arbitration Court. It will be seen that the number of cases has declined from 258 last year to 147. This is due to the cause mentioned in connection with the number of awards. The proportion of disputes settled or substantially settled by the Commissioners has also declined considerably. Owing, no doubt, to the Court's stabilization scheme and to the fact that wages on the whole have tended to slightly decrease, one side or the other has preferred to a greater extent than in normal times to refer the matters in dispute to the Arbitration Court. Prosecutions. There were 184 prosecutions for breaches of the Act and of awards and industrial agreements, resulting in 162 convictions. Fourteen cases are still awaiting hearing. Registration of Industrial Unions and Associations. One association of workers' unions, twenty-one workers' unions, and one employers' union were registered. Four workers' unions, and one association of workers' unions were cancelled. Of the four cancellations of workers' unions, two were merely for the purpose of reorganization in some other form under the Act, while two were apparently cancelled for the purpose of terminating an award (the specified currency of which had expired), and thus bringing themselves under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act. It may be noted that in all only twenty unions have had disputes (numbering twenty-eight) dealt with under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act, while there are 548 awards and agreements in force, under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The usual statutory return (to the 31st December, 1921.) of the unions registered under the Act, with their membership at that date, is published herewith as an appendix. Comparison with the previous year shows that there has been an increase of one in the number of employers' unions, with a decrease in membership of forty-seven. The total number of workers' unions registered increased by seventeen, and the total membership by 1,369.

Commissioner T. Harle Giles. Commissioner W. Newton. Commissioner , r , . W. H. Hagger. ioUlL industrial agreements arrived at and filed as such under section 20 by parties through the Commissioner alone Disputes dealt with by Conciliation Councils— Where industrial agreements were filed under section 20 Where accepted recommendations were made (under section 7, Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act, 1911) Where recommendations were fully accepted and forwarded to the Court to be made into awards Where recommendations were substantially ac ccpted or agreements reached and referred to Court to make awards Where only minor recommendation or no recommendation was made 1 2 1 1 4 1 19 12 14 45 17 20 25 62 9 13 13 35 Totals 40 48 53 147