H—ll

(d) Labour Disputes Investigatipn Act, 1913 The number of agreements filed under this Act during the year was 16 (last year, 11). On 31st March, 1949, the number of agreements-in force was also 16 (last year, 11). (e) Industrial Disputes There were 112 industrial disturbances (last year, 113) during the year ended 31st March. These were distributed among the various industries for duration as follows: —

(/) Minimum Wage Act, 1945. This Act, which provides for a minimum wage for all persons of twenty-one years and upwards (with certain limited exceptions), continues to be satisfactorily observed. Details of the alleged breaches which occurred during the year are shown in Table XXII. The Act supplements the wages framework of other statutes and applies principally to domestics and other workers not covered by awards. Some of the workers under awards, however, are also protected by the legislation. The Government proposes to introduce during the coming session an amendment to the Minimum Wage Act to provide for appropriate increases following the standard wage pronouncement of the Court of Arbitration. (g) Minimum, Wage-rates Fixed by Awards and Industrial Agreements (1) The Court of Arbitration, in March, 1949, considered two applications under Regulations 39b and 39c of the Economic Stabilization Emergency Regulations for a pronouncement specifying standard rates of wages. The first application was made on behalf of the New Zealand Federated Furniture and Related Trades' Industrial Association of Workers, and sought also an amendment to the New Zealand Furniture Trade Employees' award to increase hourly rates of wages by 6d. an hour, with a proportionate increase in weekly rates. The second application was made on behalf of the New Zealand Flour, Oatmeal, and Pearl-barley Millers' Industrial Union of Employers. Previous applications of this type had been made only by workers' organizations, but on this occasion the employers also sought a pronouncement by the Court. (2) Before the applications were heard by the Court the Economic Stabilization Emergency Regulations were amended so that on an application for either a standard wage pronouncement or for a general order amending the provisions of awards and industrial agreements the Court could in either case make a pronouncement or a general order as it thought fit. The amendment also affected the factors which the Court was

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Industry. Up to One Day. More than One Day and Up to Three Days. More than Three Days and Up to Ten Days. Over Ten Days. Go-slow. i Overtime I Refusal. 1 Total. Coal-mining Meat processing, See. Shipping— Watersiders 40 12 8 3 1 2 1 1 3 3 1 1 2 47 lf> 16 Seamen 2 2 4 8 Transport Engineering Building and construction 3 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 5 3 6 Others 5 3 3 1* 12 Total .. 71 12 15 6 3 5 112 *Eire brigades' refusal to perform routine duties.