FT.—ll

For any overtime worked by shop assistants the same regulations should be in force as in factories, particularly in regard to the permit to be obtained from an Inspector of Factories. It is absolutely impossible for an account of overtime hours to be kept unless the Inspector is informed beforehand ; if he has to be informed afterwards memories become unreliable. Nor can a proper care for the health of employees be exercised unless the Inspector gives permission to individual persons ; the overtime work that would be light for some is hurtful exceedingly to more delicate or youthful frames. All that is required is the insertion of a clause similar to that of section 2 of "The Factories Amendment Act, 1902." Overtime should not be worked on more than two consecutive days. It would be a great boon both to shop-assistants and to Inspectors if the shops now exempted from closing (fishmongers, fruiterers, &c.) were made to shut on an appointed halfday in the week—say Wednesday. Their goods are no more perishable than those of others (florists, butchers, &c), who now have to close ; while the effort to find out if assistants have had or will have a half-holiday on some day the occupier thinks fit is incessant and leads to falsehood. If all had to close on a certain afternoon—not necessarily on the general halfholiday—it would tend both to convenience and rectitude. Where an occupier of a shop closes it on other than a statutory holiday in accordance with an invitation from the Mayor of the town or other responsible person for the observance of some special holiday or halfholiday, there should be no deduction made from the payment of wages to any shopassistant, but wages should be paid as though the shop were open, since it is not closed through any desire or deficiency on the part of the assistant. Conciliation and Arbitration. The effect of the section (No. 21) of the amending Act of 1901, in practically superseding Conciliation Boards and allowing a dispute to be taken direct to the Arbitration Court, has been to congest the Court with a press of business and somewhat delay its decisions. The Court has made herculean efforts to overtake the large number of cases brought before it, and has been incessantly in motion from one end of the colony to the other; but the variety as well as the importance of the subjects engaging its attention have prevented the delivery of awards with the celerity which suitors waiting decisions with anxiety naturally desire. It must be remembered that industrial disputes proper occupy by no means the whole of the time at the Court's disposal. Dozens'of cases of breach of award, some almost trivial, have to be adjudicated on, as well as actions for recovery of compensation under the Workers' Compensation for Accident Act. It would be of great advantage if the Court could be relieved of some of its minor duties, and its time set free for the larger issues involved in industrial disputes in which the interests of hundreds of employers and workers are very intimately engaged. It should be remembered also that the work formerly done by Conciliation Boards was by no means to be measured by the number of cases actually settled entirely through their agencies. Many of the more intricate suits were stripped of useless testimony and argument by the Board's proceedings, and difficult points at issue cleared up, often leaving only one or two questions open to be finally settled by the Arbitration Court. At present, either through the wish to win time and prevent change (gaining perhaps some months before the Court can sit locally), or through desire for economy in only appearing once in a case instead of twice, the power of initiating proceedings in the higher Court is fully taken advantage of, the Conciliation Boards have little chance of exercising their functions, and the Court has its hands overfull. Strong desire is expressed among the ranks of the trade-unionists that " preference to unionists " should be made compulsory by statute, instead of being left to the Arbitration Court to insert in an award. The plea used is that the Court in giving preference usually couples that privilege with the addendum " other things being equal," and, as it is left to the employer to say whether such equality exists, the grant of preference is useless with such a proviso. If the law is amended in the desired direction, it is probable that it will not be done without fierce opposition; but the principle is so important that it is well worth full debate and enlightening discussion. At the end of February a very interesting phase of Arbitration Court business occurred in Auckland. The furniture trade had been working under an industrial agreement, which was to be superseded on the Ist March by an award of the Court raising the minimum wage of cabinetmakers 2d. per hour. The employers in many cases decided not to pay the increased rate to some of their workmen who had hitherto obtained the minimum wage under the old agreement, so these men were " suspended " till they could obtain certificates

IV