H.—ll.

Of the amount unpaid, £182 Os. lOd. is owing by employers who have gone out of business and whose whereabouts are at present unknown; several are reported to have left the Dominion. £5 19s. 6d. is owing by employers who have promised to pay off their fines by instalments; £61 ss. by employers against whom warrants of distress have been issued, but who have " no effects " (several of these are bankrupt, but are now working for wages and are paying in small instalments); £60 2s. 6d. by employers who, through illness, &c, are in very poor circumstances, and cannot pay at present; £2 by an employer who was accidentally killed soon after the fine was imposed; and £80 of the total amount of penalties is owing by persons only recently fined. Steps are being taken in the usual way to collect the amounts owing. Return showing Total Cases and Penalties paid and owing by Workers (other than Slaughtermen, for which see below) as at Slst March, 1913 (from Inception of Act). Total number of cases in which penalties inflicted, 822. £ s. U. Percentage. Total amount of penalties ... ... ... ... 918 10 0 Total amount paid ... ... ... ... 753 15 7 82J Total amount outstanding ... ... ... ... 164 14 5 17J Of the amount outstanding, £90 14s. Id., representing nearly 10 per cent, of the total amount of penalties, is owing by workers whose present whereabouts are unknown (distress warrants were issued against them at various times, but were returned either for the reason given or, where warrants could then be served, there were no effects to seize. Some of these workers were only recently fined, whilst others disappeared either before or just after the penalties were imposed). £3 13s. is owing by men against whom distress warrants have been issued, but so far without effect; £1 12s. 4d. by two workers who were drowned; £9 10s. by workers only recently fined, for the recovery of which the usual steps are being taken; and £59 ss. by an industrial union of workers, being part penalty imposed for instigating an unlawful strike. Out of the total amount of penalties inflicted on slaughtermen in the year 1907—viz., £1,330 —it will be noted that there is still an amount of £295 outstanding, or 22 per cent, 'of the whole. There is no change in these figures since the last report was published. The business dealt with under the Acts during the year ending 31st March, 1913, is summarized in the following table : — Industrial agreements ... ... ... ... ... .. 32 Arbitration Court. Awards ... ... ... — ... ... ... 94 Enforcements of awards (conducted by Department) ... ... ~.. 11 Enforcement of section 5 and 6 Amendment Act (re strikes) ... ... 2 Interpretations of awards ... ... ... ... ... 23 Other decisions (amending awards, adding parties, &c.) ... ... 47 Appeals from decisions of Stipendiary Magistrates ... ... ... 5 Application for awards refused ... ... ... ... ... 4 Appeal from Registrar's decision to refuse registration of union ... 1 Magistrates' Courts, Enforcements of awards (conducted by Department) ... ... ... 429 Enforcements of awards (conducted by unions) ... ..: ... 7 Enforcements of section 6, Amendment Act (re strikes)... ... ... 8 Councils of Conciliation. Recommendations (see reports of Conciliation Commissioners) ... 118* Inspectors of Factories. Permits to under-rate workers ... ... ... ... .... 108 Secretaries of Unions. Permits to under-rate workers ... ... ... ... ... 91 The Court also dealt with twenty-four cases under the Workers' Compensation Act (see p. xix).

* Of this number, eight were fully accepted and became awards under section 7 of the 191.1 Amendment Act.

XVIII