H—ll

(2) Accidents Preliminary figures disclose that there were 56 scaffolding accidents in the calendar year 1946. Details of age-groups and causes are set out in Tables XI and XII of the Statistical Appendix. Although the number decreased from 100 in 1945, the accidents appear to have been more serious, as the following table indicates :

The first of the fatal accidents occurred when a worker was struck on the head by a piece of timber which fell from a building in the course of construction. The second fatality was caused by lacerations to a worker's side sustained when he fell from the planking of a suspension bridge, after a union screw holding the overhead suspension wire had given way. The third was due to a fracture of the skull caused by a fall from a church roof, which the worker concerned was engaged in painting. SECTION 11.—SERVANTS' REGISTRY OFFICES ACT, 1908 The following table shows the number of servants' registry offices registered with the Department in each year since 1935-36 :

It was noted last year that the steady decline in numbers since 1936-37 had been broken, but the declining trend has reasserted itself in the year under review. All the offices registered appear to have been well conducted, and no breaches of the Act were reported or discovered. SECTION 12.—FAIR RENTS ACT, 1936 (1) General The provisions of this Act have been summarized in previous reports. The Statutes Amendment Act, 1946, assented to on 12th October, 1946, extends the original Act to premises occupied by several persons for residential purposes. The total of the several amounts payable by such persons is deemed to be the rent of the premises. The Amendment Act also applies the principal Act to any tenancy, notwithstanding the fact that the landlord provides meals or food, unless the cost of such meals forms a substantial proportion of the rent. Details of the enforcement of the Act are given in Section 18.

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Number of Accidents. Degree of Disability. 1945. 1946. Temporary Permanent partial Fatal . . . . 98 2 50 3 3 Totals .. 1 100 56

Year. Number registered. Year. Number registered. 1935-36 .. 1936-37 .. 1937-38 .. 1938-39 .. 1939-40 .. 1940-41 .. 107 110 92 78 67 52 1941-42 .. 1942-43 .. 1943-44 .. 1944-45 .. 1945-46 .. 1946-47 .. 45 37 31 28 31 23