BRITISH WORKERS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 45, 20 January 1928, Page 7

BRITISH WORKERS

UNEMPLOYED DECREASING. TRADE DISPUTES FEWER. COST OF LIVING NOT SO HIGH,

(By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received January 20, 11.10 a.m. RUGBY, Jan. 19. In its annual survey of employment, wages, cost of living, and trade disputes during the past year, the Ministry of Labour records that, despite acute depression in some important industries, the average number of persons actually employed was higher than in any previous year. The number of trade disputes causing stoppages of work was the lowest ever recorded.

The average amount of unemployment among insured persons was lower than in any year since 1920, the year before the post-war depressions set in, the average annual percentages falling from 17 in 1921 to 9.7 last year. The aggregate number of working days lost in disputes was the lowest ever recorded. There was a slight reduction during 1927 in the average level of rates of wages in industries and services, for which statistics are available.

The changes reported during the year resulted in an aggregate net reduction of £389,000 in the weekly full time wages of over 1,850,000 work people and inthe net increase of £230,400 in those of 280,000 work people. The greater part of the net reduction occurred in the actual working industry, which accounted for over 70 per cent of the total and included the textile working and transport industry groups. The improvement in employment last year is greater than is at first apparent owing to the fact that in the past two years the number of persons insured, for whom official records are available, increased by 230,000 and now exceeds 12,000,000. The review shows that, contemporaneously with marked improvement in employment, the cost of living has progressively decreased. At the beginning of the year the index figure stood at 75 per cent above the post-war level. At the end of December it had declined to 68 per cent.—British official wireless.