BRITAIN’S INDUSTRIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 August 1933, Page 5

BRITAIN’S INDUSTRIES

ENCOURAGING REPORTS. [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, August 15. Indications of Britain emerging from her depression were .shown in reports collected by the “Daily Telegraph” from various centres. For instance, Bradford wool textile industry has been busier than it had been in July for six years. Some_of the biggest firms have orders exceeding December, Many combing factories are running night and day. Spinners and manufacturers are well bdoked with orders. At Sheffield several big plants in the steel trade are working overtime, and others at full capacity. The total of unemployed have fallen ten thousand in the past year in Lancashire. A fine summer has given the manufacturers of artificial silk and light cotton materials their best season for years. There are signs of improvement in the engineering, steel and coal trades, while Tyneside is showing increased activity in shipbuilding, and iron and steel trades in South Wales are showing signs that their worst depression is over; the production of pig iron having increased for the year by 60 per cent., and of steel even more. At London the number of ships using the port has increased by over 17 per cent., compared to a year ago, and unemployment has fallen. UNEMPLOYMENT DWINDLING. LONDON, August 15. In the southern counties of England, including the London area, the percentage of unemployment continues relatively low. In the whole area of Greater London with a population of over eight millions, the average of unemployment is 10.6 per cent of the insured working population, and without the narrow limits of the city of London itself the figures are 2.9 per cent; which is one of the lowest in Britain, and only in some villages and seaside resorts is the percentage lower. The unemployment percentage in Hertfordshire, Sussex and Surrey is just over seven per cent; Buckinghamshire 8, Middlesex 9, Kent 10, and Essex 12. The highest percentage of unemployment is in some of the smaller textile manufacturing towns. The following are comparative figures: —Birmingham 12.3, Manchester 15.4, Liverpool 28.2, Leeds 16.6, Sheffield 29.6, Bradford 13.9, and Glasgow 28.7. Largely as the result of a lead given by the Prince of Wales in fostering local social work, some fresh efforts have been undertaken, and something of a practical value accomplished by personal initiative and local combination of forces in many villages where efforts are being made to face the local problem of unemployment. Many thousands of men and women are taking part. In addition a council is interested in 600 schemes operating for the training, employment and entertainment of unemployed.