PEOPLE WITHOUT WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20954, 18 August 1931, Page 9

PEOPLE WITHOUT WORK.

INCREASE IN AUSTRALIA.

TOTAL ABOUT HALF A MILLION

[FROM our own correspondent.] SYDNEY, August 6.

It came as a shock, even to Australians, to learn the other day that in two years the number of unemployed had been trebled: The rata at the beginning of 1929 was 9.3 per cent.; now it is 27.5 per cent. These figures refer only to the trade unions that forward their returns, as required by statute. Actually, they are based on a union membership of 430,000. Some important occupations, such as railways, the Public Service, and industries where the employment is purely casual at the best of times, are not included. It is estimated that the total number of employees in the Commonwealth is 2.000,000. The total number of unemployed in all States to-day would not be less than 500,000.

"Ifc is not possible to make any confident (estimate of the total number of unemployed," said Professor Giblin, tlio acting Federal Statistician, "owing to the time that has elapsed since taking the last census. It may be guessed, roughly, that the percentage of the whole population is possibly about 5 pet cent, less than the trade union figures, which, however, give a good reflex of unemployment in normal times, and even in the present abnormal conditions they probably give a fair indication of how unemployment is increasing. The was slow up to the first quarter of 1930, but it was nearly doubled in the next 16 months. "There is little difference between the States except that the percentage for Queensland, with its stable sugar industry, is about one-half that for the rest of Australia. The more sheltered industries, which are supplying ordinary consumption, are the least affected. These are printing, food and drink manufacture, land transport and retailing, which have an average unemployment index of 20 per cent. Building, on the other hand, and mining, and all manufactures except food and drink, average more than 30 per cent. The highest percentage is reached by other manufactures, .which rose from 42 to 44 per cent, in one quarter."

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