H—ll

VI

Factories. The numbers of persons registered as being engaged in factories since 1895 are enumerated in the following table :—

I regret to report that for the first time in the industrial history of the Dominion this year shows a decrease in the number of persons employed in manufacture. The establishments employing workers are more numerous, but the employees are fewer. This is, however, accounted for by the fact that in some cases the men or women thrown out of work have set up small businesses for themselves which in most cases would not come under the Factories Act, or turned to other occupations, while at the same time the scarcity of young people entering industrial life causes further vacancies in the ranks of the workers in large factories. Further on, the figures show the rapid loss of young people under twenty-one years of age from the factories, a loss more than accounting for the above decrease. The total amount of wages paid in manufacture last year was £5,890,941, an increase on the previous year of £180,715, a rise of 3-2 per cent. This compares poorly with that of the previous year, in which the advance was £391,207, and at the rate of 7-3 per cent. When, however, it is taken into consideration that for some time the building trades suffered severe depression, and that the shipbuilding, iron, and metal trades have had a very dull time indeed, the fact that the amount of wages paid during last year in manufactures was the highest yet noted inspires confidence, especially with the better prospects before us at present. The following table shows how the wages were distributed in the different trades :- -

Wages paid in the Several Trades, 1st April, 1908, to 31st March, 1909.

Year. Paotories. Increase. Factory-workers, i Increase. 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 4,109 4,647 5,177 5,601 6,286 6,438 6,744 7,203 7,675 8,373 9,123 9,881 10,788 11,586 12,040 538 530 424 685 152 306 459 472 698 750 758 907 798 454 i ! 29,879 32,387 36,918 39,672 45,305 48,938 53,460 55,395 59,047 63,968 67,713 70,403 75,310 78,625 78,848 2,508 4,531 2,754 5,633 3,633 4,522 1,935 3,652 4,921 3,745 2,690 4,907 3,315 223 1910 12,302 262 77,806 Decrease. 1,042 Total increase 8,193 47,927

TTT • 1 1 Wages paid during the Years Wages paid di; Class. 1909-10. Increase. ! p Inore f se I Percentage. 1908-9. I J Food trades Woodworking trades Iron and metal trades - Clothing trades Printing and stationery trades Leather-working trades Stone, clay, and mineral trades Light, heat, and power trades Chemical and by-product trades Watch and jewellery trades.. Paper and cardboard trades £ .. ! 1,157,058 .. ' 1,035,489 .. ■ 1,018,657 .. j 844,621 .. I 366,869 .. , 348,454 222,901 147,879 .. ! 92,267 45,582 24,504 £ 1,C94,933 1,017,393 993,4C8 821,716 356,680 339,438 215,494 137,346 74,459 44,441 20,199 £ 62,125 5-7 18,096 1-8 25,249 2 5 22,905 2-8 10,189 2-9 9,016 2-7 7,407 3-4 10 533 7-6 17,808 23-9 1,141 2-6 4305 21-3 Decrease. 1,106 897 6,056 Ship building and repairing trades Basket and wicker trades Miscellaneous, not included above 77,458 17,281 491,921 78,564 18,178 497,977 Totals .. 5,890,941 5,710,226 180,715 i 3-2