H—ll

(14) It was demonstrated in the last annual report of the Department of Labour that the shortage of female factory workers which has been apparent since the end of the war had resulted in an increased demand for the services of " outworkers." In spite of the Department's refusal during the 1947-48 year to issue licences to a considerable number of applicants (for such reasons as unsatisfactory premises and failure to show any reason why ordinary factory work could not be undertaken), the number of licensed outworkers has increased. During the year ended 31st March, 1948, 784 licences were issued, compared with 629 in the previous year. These were distributed as follows :

(15) Since the end of the war there has been a series of repeals of the Modification Orders. These Orders were issued when the Act reduced hours to forty a week in 1936, and subsequently to provide for lower rates for Sunday and holiday work performed in certain continuous-process industries where it was " impracticable " to impose the full provisions of the forty-hour week. The effect of the repeals has been to do away with special provisions for the industries concerned and full rates are now obligatory. The views of all organizations affected by each proposed repeal were obtained and considered, and this meant that the process of repealing the Orders was not complete at the end of the period under review. It is anticipated, however, that the Factories Act, 1946, Modification Order 1948, referred to in paragraph (16) below, will be the only surviving Order when this report appears. (16) Government Factories.—-The Factories Act, 1946, binds the Crown, and Government factory employees are ensured the same conditions as apply in industry. The Factories Act, 1946, Modification Order 1948 was made to enable a long-standing arrangement to be continued in the Railways Department. The holiday provisions of the Act were modified for this Department (with the agreement of the railways workers' organizations) to enable a factory worker to accept a day off duty on pay at a subsequent date to be agreed upon between that worker and his employer in lieu of the payment at the ordinary rate for the holiday to which he would otherwise be entitled. (17) Since the oyertime and holiday provisions of the Act apply only to defined " factory workers " there were many instances of workers in *the same Department being entitled to different rates of overtime and different payment for work done on

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Number of Licences issued in Trades shown. i Totals, Totals, District. Footwear | 1947-48. 1946-47. Clothing. Jb ancy and j Other. VJUUUOi Leatherwork. Auckland 356 6 46 9 417 378 Hamilton 2 2 2 Tauranga 3 Gisborne 1 i Napier 2 4 7 Hastings 4 4 Wanganui i 1 Palmerston North 4 4 Lower Hutt 21 i 22 L 1 Aft Wellington 132 5 137 J" JLUo Christchurch 113 3 22 148 103 Timaru 4 5 9 2 Oamaru 3 Dunedin .. 28 3 2 33 17 Invercargill 2 2 6 Dominion 666 8 57 53 784 629 * With the amalgamation of the two Departments now constituting the Department of Labour and Employment, district boundaries are not stictly comparable for the two years.