UNEMPLOYED IN ENGLAND.

Mataura Ensign, 20 March 1909, Page 5

UNEMPLOYED IN ENGLAND.

•"Nearly 7U,U<!U of Ihe highest class ol British worker.-,—;he fully trained artisans—are out of employment, according to the latest report issued by the Labor Depart luetic of the Board <>t Trade. Not since has there been so great a scarcity of work among men <>t this class. What tiie conditions are among the unskilled laborers remain; as hitherto unknown. No attempt is being mad'.officially to ascertain it. The (bnoniment naturally prefers not to bring the facts to light at on-sent, though il knows that it will b» pre-sed for i hem when, a lew weeks hence, the i,ue:.aion the House (il Commons. The suiferiugs of the poor who are Irving In avoid recourse to parish relief have, been intensified by a rise In (he cost of the principal food supplies, -vith the.'e\eept ion of bacon, pork and cheese. It is officially reported that the general level of retail prices showed "an increase in 11)08 'if nearly 21 per cent. 11S compared with 1907. of over 5 per cent. when compared with ]oof> and *.■! per cent, when compared with 10(1(1." II is interesting to uole some of Ibe figures in conjunction with Ihe claim of tie- free importer!. In the course of the period under review the retail price of oatmeal rose bv 12.1 per cent., cocoa by !'.!.». bread bv 8 per cent., beef bv 6.7, Hour bv 6.2. butler bv 5.5 and potatoes hv ■l.O. And all these advances hare taken place in ••> ooricd of less than nine years. The prices of several staph' foods still continue to show an upward tendency, while it is acknowledged that the purchasing power of ibe majority oi the people is declining.