THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19270, 6 September 1924, Page 18

THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD

'NEWS AND NOTES. , By J. T; Paul. UNEMPLOYMENT IN BRITAIN. The number of workpeople registered at the labour exchange in Great Britain Mias now fallen below’the million mark, for" the first time for over three years, the number on May 19 last being 987,055. It is necessary to go back to January, 1921, to find a figure so low. The decline is, shown "by the following official figures:— January, 1922 • ... 1,817,639 , • January,■ 1923 • ... 1,410,500 January, 1924, ; ... ... ... 1,215,681 February, 1924..... : 1,124;’407- ■ March, 1924 ......... 1,021,325 iipril, 1024 ... ; 1,013.699 ’ May 10,, 1924 987,055 COMPENSATION FOR ACCIDENT. Since the Victorian•: Workers’- Compeneation Act came into force in 1914 (says the Melbourne Herald), £32,137 has' been paid in bonuses ,by the Workers’ Compensation Department. These, figures • were supplied by Mr William Henry Holmes, head 1 of the _ department, in evidence before. the National Insurance .Commission. Mr Holroes said. that-the department had issued 6500 policies, despite opposition- ■by 50 insurance companies. During its 10 years’ existence the department had .dealt with 2542 claims for accidents. Of these, 113 had been disallowed, and 25 ' were bogus. Each year-the'cost of administration had been decreased. ' During the past 12 months it was only 14 per cent, of the revenue. This wag. lower than that ■of any insurance company. Asked by Senator ; Millen (chairman) whether a flat rate throughout all trades was practicable, Mr Holmes replied in tho negative. The risks, ho said, incurred .by ramers, building domolishers, and .other manual labourers, were far greater than those of clerks, whose accident claims were almost ■ negligible. . Now Zealand to-day. paid the highest compensation—£3 15s a week or £750 in a lump sum. Queensland followed with £3 10s "or £750; New South Wales, £3 or £750; and Victoria £2 or £6OO. WAGES AND COST OF LIVING.

Many surprises were incorporated in tlje voluminous Tepprt issued by the Royal Commission on the High Cost of 'Living (says the Melbourne Star). It is asserted, that, while prices advanced only 47.‘8 per cent, since 1914, the increase in wages over the same" period amounted to 75 per, cent. ■ Compared with the increased wages, the cost of living in Victoria was not as high now as it was before'the-beginning of.the war. It was erroneous to. suppose that the position of the wage-earner had been changed for the worse “In truth, he and his family are better housed, better fed, and. better clothed,” the report continues. “They have ipore recreation and amusement than they ever had in the past! ■ ■ “Wage-earners in'Victoria are better off than they were 20 years ago. They should be able to save one-seyenth, of their earnings if their-wages were spent on the same commodities and quantities as in 1921.”, For the various groups of trades The increase in wages for , shipping trades is enumerated as 111 per cent., followed ; by domestics, hotel and land transport employees at about 80, with mining arid building trades lowest, at about 60 per cent. “No. group isworse off,” declared ■ the report. “Most have, improved thjeir 'position decidedly. The lowest paid groups 01, 1914 have advanced most. ; - “There certainly has been a change‘-m the standard of living, arid the industrial wage-earning ’ classes ■’ have been able pot only to protect themselves dgainst the rises in price, but actually better their position.” The report goes on to point out that tne changes in the value of 'money "haVe not affected all classes equally. . Investors have suffered - greatly. Inflation greatly bettered the position of '.the debtor and prejudiced the Render -or- investor of the money.. Those depending on interest from invevstments have bad little or no advantage from rising prices, but bore the full burden.

Government officials of: all grades: had not averaged more than about 20 per cent., increase. Those with pensions or , also had not been compensated for increased prices. . , , , Farmers, however,, as a class, borrowed on the security of land they were purchasing. Inflation enabled them :to .-pay off mortgages more easily, . then sell to, great advantage, -and even' 1 enabling n retirement from active work. > , '

AN' INTERNATIONAL INQUIRY INTO UNEMPLOYMENT. The results of ', an international inquiry into unemployment have just been, pub--lished by 'the International Labour. Office of tho-League of‘ Nations. -This inquiry- was originally begun in 1921 in accordance 1 with a resolution -of ‘ the International Labour Conference held in that year. By this resolution the office was instructed “to institute a special • inquiry .oh the national-and international aspects, of the. unemployment crisis and the /means of combating it.”' The International Labour Conference held in 1922, after” considering a preliminary report prepared, to carry out this instruction, decided that the inquiry should be continued and extended, particularly to investigate the causes' and remedies of seasonal unemployment, arid, in collaboration with the economic and financial section of the League of Nations,' to study ■ the problem of periodical crises of unemployment.. , .The office was further instructed to ask the economic and financial organisation of the League of Nations for. information concerning the influence on the demand for the labour* of both sexes of monetary, financial and policy in different countries. . ~ . It will be seen from this resolution that the conference took into consideration not only the present, crisis of .unemployment but also the question of unemployment as an endemic or recurrent 'evil (seasonal .and. cvclioal depressions). "The most-interesting portion of the present report is that which deals with economic fluctuations and periodical unemployment crises. After detailing the ' steps taken in conjunction with the economic and financialsection of the league to study the problem in its - various -aspects, the report .draws attention to some results of a special in-, ouiry undertaken by the office into’the conditions under which unemployment arose and developed in the various countries of the world during the years 1920 to 1923. The conclusion;of the report is sufficiently interesting to quote;— ' “In a general way, the inquiry leads to the conclusion—contrary to. a . fairly widespread idea, which would,, in fact, appear to have originally inspired the conference resolution inaugurating the inquiry—that the acute unemployment suffered throughout the world from 1920 to' 1925 is closely connected with the periodical crises which have afflicted the working classes and humanity as a whole for a century. True, the.great' questions of international relations resulting from the war and the treaties of peace have gravely affected the national economy of many countries, and continue to do so, resulting in the complication and aggravation of unemployment. The result of the inquirv seems to indicate, however, that apart from certain exceptions, the available statistics show scarcely any -co-relation between changes in unemployment and fluctuations in foreign trade. In many countries the period'of most intense imemployr ment was accompanied by a greater volume of exports than at some other date, for instance. 1920. when industry was verv active and unemployment only moderate.” JOTTINGS. “I dislike very much other-people taking away from mo the name of being a working man. It does not mean that I must work with my hands; if I really work genuinely, I am as much' entitled to be called a working man as anybody else,” remarked Professor John Adams, the eminent educationist. in an address at Wellington. “ I don’t think the City Council is playing the game in paying employees over, and above what the Arbitration Court has fixed,” said Mr W. J.- Cousins at the meeting of the Auckland Provincial Employers’; Association. The speaker referred to the tramway employees, who, ho, said, were also paid for . holidays, arid had free car rides provided them. “ The .City-Council has no rates and taxes to pay, and I hardly think it is a fair thing to other employers,”, added. Mr Cousins. Applications for employment received by the Department of Labour at'Auckland last week totalled 189. which is practically the same number as the’ previous week. 'Of-the applicants 73 weuo labourers. 20 cooks and hotel workers, 19 motor drivers, and 7 carpenters! Those classed as fit for heavy work were 157 in number, while 32 were classed ns fit for light work only. During tho week 14 labourers. 2 carpenters, 2 farm, hands. 1 bricklayer/ and 1 handy man were placed in private employment.- while 1 engineer, 1 gardener, and 1 kitchen man were placed in the public • works or other Government employ meat - -