THE LABOR DEPARTMENT

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 4005, 11 August 1915, Page 4

THE LABOR DEPARTMENT

CONDITIONS IN GINBORN fi district. IXSI'ECTOR’3 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr W. IT. AA'estbrooke, Inspector or Factories a*. Gisborne, has suomu-et the following report for the year timing March 31 u> the Dc-par:raout cr Labor: — “Tho year has been one or gma. prosperity, and although the declaration of war temporarily aneeted aovtrsdv a- I trades, cjulK-o— Cj ' fxdiv restored. This is pay-cu_.iru so m the building trade, which new sliotts groat activity, ana •retail tTredcs tire not- *up normal, there is evidence of green improvement daring the lastweeks. and the high prices realised ror our staple products ensures a presperous time for the coming year. _ “Factories: The report states, tr.at 265 factories were registered during the year, giving persons, an increase ci 63 racton- - pince last year. Seventeen permw were issued to young persons under 16 years to work in factories. Overtire warrants were issued t-o S4_ persons t ■ work £063 hours of overtim.-?. The factories wore well conducted. _a w r r-t. c.f warning invariably remedying any matter complained of. “Accidents: There wc-r-> 52 accidents. a large majority of which werin connection with two local frees ns works, but none causing pr-rmanen: disablement. “Shops and Ofhcis .Act: There wf>.366 shops in this district, employme 950 persons. Permits for 15-5 persons to work 2795 extended hours were issued. A large- number of complaint* were inv.-siigated and £l3 S? rccyer*<l for workers, being hack wages du-\ Onlv three rmnlovers were prosecuted. The' Act had been vreli observed and very little friction ■: xtu-riene-od. “Industrial: Twenty-four alleged breaches, of Awards or were investigated, 12 being in connection I with hotel employee*. Two cases o: breaches of the printers' .rverd and i two ca-s-os of breach.es of tho tailors' award were taken to court and substantial fines inflicted. At-xts of wages to the amount of £24 13s Gd had been recovered. Six fresh awards y-a.grvs'-mcut.s came into fot-.-o during the year. Eight- under-rate workers’ permits were issued. The Act and the various awards and agreements were, with few exceptions, well observed, and although numerous breaches had boon discovered, with tho exception of tho cases mentioned above, ail had bom settled without court proecedmgp. “Shearers’ accommodation: Thirteen stations had been visited, ami eight notices served to provide additional accommodation. “Servants’ registry ofne's: There wore now four of these in the town, an increase of one. They were web conducted. “Employment: There had been 497 Stations for employment-, and ot 260 laborers had been sent to puttie works and 26 to private employment. .V large number of men had also been forwarded through the Gisborne office from southern districts. The district was largely engaged in St-oral pursuits, and unfortunately I- did not- tend to provide constant employment of labor, and there had been a shortage of labor in the busy season and a surplus for the remainder of the year. The system of sending men from other districts had the double advantage of givum labor tothe settlers in the busy season and work to the unemployed when they needed it. "Unemployment- had not been experienced to any great extent. The skilled worker had been kept busy. “Workers’ dwellings: Fourteen workers’ dwellings had been erected To Ilapara and eight at Telega Bay, and all had been purchased by workers who were likely to do credit to the Department. “The oil ice has been kept very busv during the year,” concludes the report. _ “In. addition to the increase of factories, and shops and awards, the erection of workers’ dwellings at Gisborne and at Tolocn Bay has given a largo amount of work, and the Government Statistician’s request for returns of prices of commodities ha* added considerably to the'work of the Inspector. I beg to acknowledge with thanks the unfailing courtesy that has been extended to mo by the officers of the different Departments 1 have been brought in contact with.”