Page:Life·of·Seddon•James·Drummond•1907.pdf/296

 as a sympathiser with the advanced legislation it was proposed to initiate, was placed in charge of the new department, and has continued to administer its affairs. Mr. Tregear’s instructions from the Government were:—To compile statistics concerning the condition of labour generally; to establish agencies for reporting the scarcity or overplus of workers in particular districts; to transfer such workers from overcrowded localities to places needing labour; and, generally, to control all industries for the physical and moral benefit of those engaged therein.

As time passed, the scope of operations was largely extended. The department is one of the busiest in the public service. It has agents in every town, police constables representing it in the small country centres where there are no regular agencies. Its principal object is to send the unemployed out of the cities to the places where work is available. In a way, the bureaux are public servants’ registry offices, at which no fee is charged. A labourer, or worker at any trade, can seek employment through the nearest bureau, and an employer who requires assistance can use the bureaux in the same way. In the large centres, the agencies are sometimes kept busy for days at a time receiving applications and bringing together men who want masters and masters who want men. For several years employers held aloof from the department, as they held that it was established not for them, but for the workers. Now, however, it is gaining their confidence, and they are making good use of it. The department also collects vast quantities of information in regard to the industrial occupations of the people, with a view to improving the relations between employers and workers; and it publishes a monthly periodical, popularly known as the “Labour Journal,” which contains much useful information.

In 1895, a new branch of the department was established for the purpose of providing employment for women out of work. The results of this experiment have not been encouraging. At first the branch was largely used by women and girls in search of employment, but the response on the part of employers was discouraging. In later years,