A REDISTRIBUTION

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 157, 31 December 1931, Page 10

A REDISTRIBUTION

LABOUR IN BRITAIN

FIGURES FOR EIGHT YEARS

Interesting figures showing the extent to which labour has been redistributed during the years of depression have recently been published by the British Ministry of Labour. The figures show the growth and decline of the number of insured workers in the different industries during the past eight years—that is, between July, 1923, and July, 1931. During this period there was a growth in all industries taken together of 14.5 per cent. In one-third of the industries, however, there was a decline averaging 11.7 per cent., and iv the remainder an increase of 31 per cent. The industries which show a decline in the number of insured employees cover about 4,250,000 workers, and include the principal mining, metal, and textile trades, the decreases ranging from 0.2 to 37.3 per cent. The percentage declines for the more important sections of industry were: Mining and quarrying other than coal and iron, 37.3; carriages, carts, etc., 32.9; iron mining, 30.9; National Government, 30.2; pig iron, 28.1; ship-building, 23.0; steel melting aud rolling, 16.9; marine engineering, 14.6; coalmining, 13.2; general engineering, 10.2; woollen and worsted, 7.9; and cotton, 1.7. It should be observed that the figures relate to the numbers insured in the various industries, whether actually in employment or not. The industries named are, of course, those in which, on tho whole, unemployment is the heaviest, and the numbers actually in work would show a much greater decline since 1923. The trades in which the personnel has shown an increase during the eight years are usually those of the sheltered type. The figures for some of the more important are as follows: —

The.extent of tie increase in sonic of these cases is remarkable. The growth of relief works on roads, etc., accounts for the fact that the number of workers employed on Public works has more than doubled. The development o£ the artificial silk industry is also reflested in the figures, as ia also the expansion of the motor-coach and omnibus services. The growth of the distributive trades, which comprise in the main retail shops, is a matter which calls for serious consideration. In the first place it is a phenomenon which one would not normally expect in a period of falling wages and salaries and of short-time working and underemployment, when tho spending power of . the workers has been limited. In the second place, the increase of 52.4 per cent, represents the : addition of well over half a million workers of the unproductive type to the population, and implies a considerable expansion in the amount of capital invested in shop premises. The wisdom of such a policy in times of trade depression is open to doubt. The distributive trades now account for 14.7 per cent, of the insured workew, compared with 10.9 per cent, in 1023. Compared with these figures, mining, metals, and textiles account for 36.2 prr cent., compared with 42.5 per cent, in 1023.

Increase since July, 1023. Industry. Fer cent. Public works contracting 120.5 Silk and artificial silk 9B.S Electrical contracting !'5.2 Artificial stone ami concrete .. 03.9 Tramway and omnibus service . 04.9 Electrical eugineefiug 5L7 Distributive trades 52.4 Brick, tile, etc. 51.1 Laundering 42.2 Motor-vehicles 3--u Building 26.0