70,000 WORKLESS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 494, 1 July 1932, Page 7

70,000 WORKLESS.

Extent of Unemployment Revealed. EARLIER TOTAL INCOMPLETE. (Special to the “ Star.”) WELLINGTON, July 1. Some comment has been aroused by a statement by the Rt. Hon J. G. Coates a few days ago giving the unemployment total as 70,000, whereas the officially announced figures for the previous week showed the total Registrations as 54,140. An inquiry in official quarters shows that there are actually 70,000 men wholly or partly dependant on the unemployment relief funds. For the week ended June 27 there were 54,342 registrations of unemployed. In addition there are 10,930 men employed under schemes other than Scheme SA. These men are removed from the unemployment register and a part of their wages is paid from the unemployment relief funds. Other men numbering 8679 w’ere employed by the Public Works Department as at June 18 on road construction, maintenance and other works. Of these 2144 are paid partly from the department’s funds and partly from the unemployment relief funds. This makes a total of 67,416 men dependant wholly or partly on the board’s funds; but the number actually registered as unemployed and reiving mainlv on the. No. 5 scheme is 54,342.