H.—ll.

Cases for Enforcement of Miscellaneous Provisions of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1908.

The following is an analysis showing nature of cases taken under the Act for the year ending 31st March, 1913 :— Number of Nature of Offence. Cases taken. Failing to pay award rate (minimum wage) ... ... ... ... 122 Accepting less than award rate (minimum wage) ... ... ... 32 Failing to pay overtime rates ... ... ... ... ... 23 Accepting less than overtime rates ... ... ... ... ... 11 Failing to give preference to unionists ... ... .. ... 49 Failing to indenture apprentices ... ... ... ... ... 8 Employing more apprentices than allowed by award in proportion to journeymen ... ... ... ... ... ... 19 Failing to pay wages at weekly or fortnightly intervals ... ... 24 Deducting from wages and failing to pay wages in full ... ... 1 Aiding and abetting and taking part in a strike ... ... ... 50 Failing to keep wages and overtime book ... ... ... ... 74 Failing to exhibit copies of awards ... ... ... ... ... 1 Having bespoke work done on other than own premises (tailoring trade) ... 6 For miscellaneous breaches of awards (by employers) ... ... ... 109 For miscellaneous breaches of awards (by workers) ... ... ... 43 Grand total ... ... ... ... ... 572 Total number of cases against employers ... ... ... ... 436 Total number of cases against employees ... ... ... ... 136 Inspectors of Awards and Clerks of Courts have also had a considerable amount of work to do in the collection of penalties imposed by the Courts, having collected a sum of £678 15s. 6d. from employers and £187 2s. lOd. from employees. The following table gives a complete analysis of the collection of these penalties : — Return showing Total Cases and Penalties paid and owing by Employers as at Slst March, 1913 (from Inception of Act). Total number of cases in which penalties inflicted, 2,621. £ s. d. Percentage. Total amount of penalties ... ... ... 6,708 8 6 Total amount paid to date ... ... ... 6,317 0 8 94£ Total amount outstanding ... ... ... 391 7 10 5f

* This total includes fifty cases for instigating, aiding, abetting, or taking part in strikes. Two were against industrial unions of workers for instigating strikes. In one case a penalty of £60 was imposed, whilst the other was dismissed, as the Court held that the union was not responsible for the action of its secretary at whose instigation the men struck. The evidence showed that the union had not authorized the secretary's action, which, the Court held, could not be treated as having been done by him in the course of his duty as secretary of the union. Action was then taken against the secretary and fifteen of the men for taking part in the strike. The former was fined £20 and four of the latter £1 each, and one £5, whilst the cases against the remaining ten were dismissed, as the evidence was not sufficient to prove that they took part in the strike. Eleven were against butchers (engaged in connection with the supply of meat for domestic consumption) for striking without giving fourteen days' previous notice of their intention to do so. Seven were each fined £3, one (held to be the prime mover) £10, and one £1, whilst two cases were dismissed, as the Court held, from'the evidence, that the employers had told the men to leave work. Seven were against threshing-millers, four of whom were each fined 10s. and three each £1. Thirteen were against slaughtermen, each of whom was fined £1 ; whilst the remaining one was against an industrial union for allegedly instigating an unlawful strike. This one was dismissed by the Magistrate, his previous decision, convicting and fining the union £100, having been reversed on appeal by the Arbitration Court. Most of the other cases were for failure to keep wages and overtime book, including one against an employer who was fined £20, as the evidence showed he had endeavoured to mislead the Inspector by the falsification of his book; but the total also includes a few cases for failing to exhibit copies of awards in factories and shops, and three for making wilfully false entries in wages and overtime book. On c such latter case was dismissed, as the Court held that the evidence did not prove that the false entries in the book were wilfully made. In the other two cases fines of £10 and £.3 were imposed.

iii—H. 11.

XVII

District. Successful. Unsuccessful. Total. Penalties. lorthern Wellington ianterbury )tago and Southland 67 15 13 15 13 2 80 17 13 15 £ s. d. 317 18 0 15 0 0 8 16 0 16 0 0 Grand totals 110 15 125* 357 14 0