D.—l

(11) 3/10/31. Walls damaged by fire through electric iron being left switched on (Wellington City Council). (12) 10/11/31. House damaged by fire through electric iron being left switched on (Waiteinata Power Board). (13) 18/12/31. Slight damage to cupboard by tire caused through sawdust lagging of waterheater getting wet and insulation of unprotected V.I.R. breaking down (Stratford Borough Council). (14) 18/12/31. Slight damage to building caused through electric iron being left switched on (Wellington City Council). (15) 22/1/32. Walls damaged by fire through electric iron being left switched on (Wellington City Council). (16) 2/2/32. Paper and scrim damaged by fire caused by electric iron being left switched on (Wellington City Council). REGISTRATION OF ELECTRICAL WIREMEN. The Electrical Wiremen's Registration Act completed its sixth year of operation in March, and in accordance with the Act a new Board has been elected. A total of fourteen whole-day meetings were held during the year ended the 30th June, 1932. Up to the end of June, 1932, there have been registered 392 Inspectors of Electrical Wiring, 3,131 wiremen with full registration, and 151 wiremen with limited registration ; in addition 707 provisional licenses have been issued. Provision is made in the Act for the removal from the register of the name of an Inspector when he ceases to be so employed and the name of an electrical wireman for various causes. From the commencement of the Act the names of 85 Inspectors and 242 wiremen have been removed ; of the latter 200 were removed as the result of the 1929 purging of the registers and of these 112 have since been reinstated. Twelve examinations have been held, and there has been a total of 3,074 candidates for the written part of the examination and 2,627 for the practical part. The maximum number of candidates at any one examination being in September, 1929, when there were 318 for the written part and 282 for the practical part; the average number for all examinations being 256 and 219 respectively. The highest marks gained were ninety-one in the written part and ninety-six in the practical part out of a possible 100 in each case. The average percentage of passes for all examinations is 33 per cent, in the written part and 46 per cent, in the practical part. The percentage of passes still remains low, although every inducement is made to encourage candidates in their work. Prizes are offered in both parts of the examination for the candidates who secure the highest marks, candidates who apply for information as to their weak points are given every assistance by means of an analysis of the marks awarded, and the Examiners carefully peruse the questions used by other examining bodies, notably the Australian registration authorities, in an endeavour to keep the sta-ndard comparable with similar examinations. Sixty-nine wiremen have had their registration certificates endorsed for defective work, fourteen being during the current year. Twenty-two endorsements have been removed, seven being during the current year. There have been thirteen appeals against the decision of the Registration Board, three being during the current year, and of these two were dismissed and one allowed. One hundred and twelve registration certificates have been reported as having been lost, stolen, or destroyed. Defective-work reports to a total of 294 have been received since the Act came into force, and breach of Act reports to a total of 401 have been received during the same period. The action taken with regard to the defective-work reports received during the year ended 30th June, 1932, is as follows : Cautioned, 10 ; censured, 15 ; endorsed, 12 ; action pending, 1 ; insufficient evidence, 4. Details of the prosecutions taken during the year ended 30th June, 1932, are as follows : Failure to notify supply authority of intention to commence work, 6 ; connecting wiring and apparatus before inspection, test, and approval, 5 ; radio salesmen doing wiring-work, 5 : employing or permitting an unregistered jierson to do wiring-work, 2 ; employing apprentices and improvers to do wiring-work without a wireman being present, 2 ; working outside the bounds of limited registration, 1 ; carpenter altering wiring-work, 1 ; consumer doing wiring-work, 2 ; salesman changing a motor, 1 ; washingmachine salesman doing wiring- work, 1. As difficulty was being experienced in obtaining particidars of the installation of private plants the electrical contractors were circularized and their attention drawn to certain requirements of the Act, including notification before commencement, inspection before connection, and that the work must be carried out in compliance with the safety regulations. One Inspector of Electrical Wiring was reported during the year for alleged unfair inspections, but careful investigation failed to substantiate the charge. The question of granting registration for the purpose of carrying out any electrical wiring-work which may be necessary when installing, maintaining, or repairing a mains-operated radio set received further consideration and a satisfactory arrangement was arrived at whereby limited registration is granted to any applicant who complies with the requirements of the Act for such registration and who has passed an examination approved by the Registration Board. The passing of the examination entails a knowledge of the electrical wiring regulations, and it is confidently anticipated that the method of installing radio sets will show considerable improvement and safety requirements will be observed. Two examinations had been held by the end of June, and limited registration has been granted to forty-three applicants. Several minor amendments to the Registration Regulations are under consideration, the principal being the exclusion of pressures up to 20 volts, the inclusion of vacuum and inert-gas tube electric

73