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Unskilled Labour. —This district, like many others, can boast of a good supply of this article, a large percentage of which are skilled loafers, the single among whom drift about from town to town as they become known to the police, and the married seem to have no higher aim in life than to get drunk and leave their homes to be supported by the various charitable institutions. These men, and a similar class who come from the adjoining colonies, get into the debt of some of the local storekeepers, and then the said storekeepers, along with these men, worry the member for the district to find work for these poor men who have large families to support. The general public, too, take an interest, and wish to be cleared of the continual calls on them for charitable aid. If the earnings of these habitual drunkards were to be paid to their wives on a certificate from the sergeant of police of the district it would be to the interest of the district. During the year about two hundred and fifty have been assisted to find work from the Government, having to support 850, composed of wives and children. I have started a book, which has been christened by the unemployed " the black-book," in which I note the names of men who have been troublesome, and the book has proved useful. The Secretary for Labour, Wellington. J. B. GitEia, Agent.

LEGAL DECISIONS, APRIL, 1894, TO MARCH, 1895. April, 1894. Invercargill. —One case under the Factories Act for employing person under eighteen years of age during afternoon of weekly half-holiday; penalty and costs, £2. May, 1894. Christchurch. —There were three cases tried for breaches of clause 58. Convictions were obtained in two, and the third was dismissed on the grounds that the boy was not employed at work for his employer, but for himself; fines, £2, with £2 16s. costs Malvern District. —Flax-miller was sued for non-registration and failing to give Saturday halfholiday ; Magistrate decided that a flax-mill was not a factory within the meaning of the Act; decision to be appealed against. June, 1894. Wellington. —There were two cases brought for employing women on Her Majesty's Birthday; conviction obtained in one, the other dismissed on the grounds that women employed were pieceworkers ; fine, £1, and costs, 30s. Ghristchurch. —There were two cases tried for breach of section 58; conviction obtained in each ; fine, 205., and costs, 28s. each. Invercargill. —Two cases brought by Inspector for breach of section 58 ; conviction obtained in each; fines, 10s. and 215., with 7s. costs each. July, 1894. Wellington. —Two eases under " The Factories Act, 1891" : One for failing to produce record of work done in factory ; penalty and costs, £2 Bs. One for employing boys after 1 p.m. on Saturday; penalty and costs, £2 Bs. August, 1894. Auckland. —Four cases under "The Factories Act, 1891" : One for not forwarding plans and particulars to the Board of Health; penalty, 55., with £1 Is. costs. Two for not registering factories under the Act; penalties, 10s. and £1 Is., with £3 14s. costs. One for employing male under eighteen years of age after 1 p.m. on Saturday; penalty, £2, with £1 17s. costs. One case under " The Shops and Shop-assistants Act, 1892," for failing to grant weekly halWioliday to shopassistant ; penalty, £1 Is., with £1 10s. costs. September, 1894. Auckland. —Two cases under " The Factories Act, 1891," for employing males under eighteen years of age after 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon ; penalties, 10s. on each case, with £3 10s. costs. October, 1894. Auckland. —There were three cases under the Shops and Shop-assistants Act; conviction obtained in one, penalty and costs, £2; one withdrawn with caution, costs, £3; and the third withdrawn on the defendants pleading ignorance of the law, and agreeing to pay costs, £3 3s. Wellington. —There were three cases, of which two were breaches of section 16 of " The Factories Act, 1891" (both dismissed); and the third was a breach of the Shops and Shop-assistants Act; conviction obtained; £2, with costs, £2 17s. Dunedin. —There was one case, a breach of " The Factories Act, 1891," clause 58 ; conviction obtained; £1, with costs, 255. 6d. November, 1894. AwMand. —Two cases under "The Factories Act, 1894"; both withdrawn on defendants agreeing to pay all costs. Ghristchurch. —One case under " The Shops and Shop-assistants Act, 1892 "; conviction obtained; £1, with costs, 28s. Timaru. —One case under " The Factories Act, 1894 " ; conviction obtained ; ss. December, 1894. Auckland. —Two cases under "The Factories Act, 1894": One employing females for more than four hours and a half without an interval of at least half an hour for a meal; conviction obtained, and a fine inflicted of £1 and £2 14s. costs. There were ten charges in the other case for employing females after 6 p.m. without a permit; defendant pleaded guilty to four charges, the remainder being withdrawn ; penalty, £2, and £5 16s. costs. 4—H. G.