H.—ll

into operation on 13th January, 1927, permitted retail coal sales in quantities of 1 cwt. or If (or multiples of 1 cwt. or If cwt.) and for many years most merchants continued to adopt the higher weight, though in the Wellington metropolitan area it had been usual to deliver in 1 cwt. quantities. During 1937 the Canterbury Drivers' and Retail Trades' Industrial Union of Workers sought weight reduction in the Christchurch area and, pursuant to amending regulations empowering the Minister of Labour to declare that coal may be sold by retail in quantities of 1J cwt. (or multiples) to the exclusion of sales by retail of quantities of 1 cwt. (or multiples), a declaration substituting cwt. for 1 cwt. operated in Christchurch from 22nd November, 1937. Subsequently, a further amendment of the regulations authorized sale of coal by retail in sacks containing either | cwt., 1 cwt., 1-J cwt., or If cwt. (Serial No. 1943/12). Dairy factories in most of the Auckland province were affected by a stoppage which commenced on 15th January, 1945, work being resumed on 19th January ; 449 workers were involved, the lost time totalling 965 days. These workers wore dissatisfied with the award of the Court of Arbitration dated 11th December, 1944, and they also sought revision of the law as to rate of payment for work performed on statutory holidays. For some time prior to the stoppage there had been unrest in the industry. Hours of work for butter-factories had been 40, 44, or 48, according to the season (for cheesefactories 38, 44, or 52), and wage rates ranged from £4 10s. to £5 14s. a week (cost of living bonuses extra). In the 1943 award a wage improvement of 6s. 6d. was effected, while the 1944 award introduced the 40-hour-week limitation, the weekly wage being maintained. An amendment of the award was issued on 2nd May, 1945, the effect of which was to define the working-days as the first five on which a worker works in any week and to increase the pay for work on statutory holidays to one day's wages in addition to the weekly wages (in lieu of one half-day's wages). Last year's report contained a record of a disturbance affecting gasworks' employees in Auckland. Three further stoppages occurred subsequently, the first involving 44- men for 2£ days in April, 1944, and the second involving 431 men for 2| days in July, 1944-. In each case the question of participation in the production bonus was involved. The third stoppage involving 50 men for 2 days took place on 26th April, 1945. It centred around the question of alleged victimization of two workers. An interesting sidelight on the stoppages referred to above was the commencement of Court action against the workers by a group of Auckland people. Informations were first laid for infringement of a section in the Police Offences Act, 1927, dealing with combination affecting the supply of gas, electric light, or water, though subsequently fresh informations were laid under the Strike and Lockout Emergency Regulations 1939 (Serial No. 1939/204). A conviction was recorded on one information. Interruption of work affecting factories in the Canterbury and Dunedin districts occurred in the chemical-manure-manufacturing industry. This arose out of a claim for an additional lOd. an hour while handling rock phosphate, in lieu of 3d. an hour previously awarded as a result of a decision of a disputes committee set up under the Strike and Lockout Emergency Regulations 1939. In the Canterbury area the interruption was in the nature of a " go-slow," and operated over a period of 9 days, 37 men being involved. The dispute spread to Dunedin two days later, where a stoppage extending over 11 days commenced on 11th July, 1945, 120 men taking part there. Employees of the New Zealand Government Railways ceased work as a protest against delay on the part of the Railway Industrial Tribunal in issuing a decision respecting wage rates. In the Westland area the stoppages commenced on 18th January and 19th January, but in the North Island the date on which workers were first absent was 23rd January. Normal work was resumed on 27th January. The following are details of Court action taken in respect of 402 waterside workers who took part in a strike on 11th October, 1944. A stop-work meeting continued until late in the afternoon, the men not resuming work until the next day. Argument was heard in respect of one man as a test case, a fine of £2 being imposed. The other informations were withdrawn. For record purposes Court action in regard to three Harbour Board employees who refused to work overtime on 15th February, 1944, on the ground that free labour was to be. employed is included. These cases were dealt with by the Supreme Court (on appeal from the decision of the Magistrate, who had imposed fines of £10 each), the appeals being dismissed ([1945] N.Z.L.R. 48). Amendment of Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1925 Two variations of the law were effected as a result of sections 33 and 35 of the Statutes Amendment Act, 1944 (a) The Act was made applicable to industrial life assurance agents (whether or not the relationship of master and servant exists): (b) An industrial dispute shall not be referred for settlement to a Council of Conciliation by an industrial union or association unless and until the proposed reference has been approved by resolution by the committee of management of the union or each of the unions concerned, as the case may be. (This is in lieu of resolution passed by secret ballots of the members at special meetings.) Under section 16 of the Rehabilitation Amendment Act, 1944, nothing in any award or industrial agreement under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1925, shall operate to prevent the carrying-out of any scheme established by the Rehabilitation Board for the training of discharged servicemen for any industry. LABOUR DISPUTES INVESTIGATION ACT, 1913 During the year 4 agreements were filed pursuant to section 8 ; 3 agreements were in force on 31st March, 1945. APPRENTICES ACT At the present time there are 136 Apprenticeship Committees, each representative of employers and workers. Pursuant to requests by Committees, officers of the Department have made 136 special investigations during the year, while, in addition, 133 complaints were investigated. As a result,

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