BRITAIN AT WORK

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 134, 7 May 1940, Page 7

BRITAIN AT WORK

THOUSANDS MORE BUSY BLOW TO UNEMPLOYMENT. WAR INDUSTRIES ACTIVE. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph .—Copyright.) (British Official VVireless.) Received May 7, 10.45 a.m. RUGBY, May G. Tlie. number of unemployed on tlie registers in Great Britain fell below one million during the month ended April 15, and it was the lowest recorded since the end of 1920, when the extended unemployment insurance scheme came into operation. The total was 932,695 —fewer by 671,695 than at the same time last, year. The number of wholly unemployed men on the register is now little more than half what it was in April, 1939, while the number of men temporarily laid off is little more than one-third the figure at tfie earlier date. The figure lor women shows a slight improvement on a year ago. Unemployment is now very low in the metal goods manufacture? tor munition purposes and in the engineering, motor vehicle, and aircraft industries. The rate in engineering and motor vehicle manufacture is not much above 2 per cent. in coal mining, agriculture, and a number of textile trades there haa been a very substantial decrease as compared with a year ago. Of individual industries, the distributive trades showed the greatest decrease, the total being 68,089 fewer than a year ago, partly due —as in other industries- —to replacement by the unemployed of workers called up for active service. Agricultural workers during the 6ame period showed an unemployment tall of about fourteen thousand.