UNEMPLOYED IN AUSTRALIA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 19 June 1913, Page 4

UNEMPLOYED IN AUSTRALIA.

The unemployed question has given rise to' some anxiety in Australia of late, and the latest official reports on the subject are not of a very encouraging character. At the end of 'March last returns were received from 451 trades unions, possessing a total membership of 237,216, and it.-was shown that 15*;23tf of -that number were out of work* ~On a. percentage basis the figures represented a slight increase over those of the final quarter, of last year. The present percentage of 6.4, however, is the highest since 1906, when ft was 6.7. The lowest year since that date was 1911, when the percentage reached 4.7, but in the following year it jumped to 5.5. The increase of last quarter occurred mainly in the building and timber and,wood trades, and in the mining industry, the States chiefly affected being New South Wales;- Victoria and Queensland. The building industry has been particularly affected, 9.1 per cent, of the members of the unions connected with it being una We to find occupation. Minors .'and quarrymen come next in misfortune, and food, drink, and tobacco employees were third on the list, their proportion of unemployment being 7.7, as against the former's 8.1. The printing trade appears to be in n fairly flourishing condition, but land transporters are the best of all with a percentage of only 2.1 of their number unable to gain a livelihood at their calling. Of the total amount of. unemployed 84.3 per cent, was set clown a s due to "lack of work," 12.5 per cent, to "sickness and accidents," I and 3.2 to "other causes "