THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1908. AMERICA'S UNEMPLOYED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9118, 18 June 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1908. AMERICA'S UNEMPLOYED.

According to statements published in New York, on April 7th, more than 4,750,000 mechanics and labourers were then unemployed in the United States. If these figures are accurate, they show that the consequences of the financial panic and business depression are more serious and widespread than is generally believed. These figures have not been contradicted in the public press, in which they appeared, but the NewYork correspondent of the London "Daily Telegraph" states that, after careful inquiry, lie is justified in saying that they are questionable. They are based on a very imperfect can-

vass, and emanated, it now appears, - from labour leaders more concerned in the promotion of socialistic propaganda than in the dissemination of accurate industrial information. The machinery for gathering information regarding the unemployed in America is wholly inadequate, and lags a long way behind the English system. Such figures as are available are in many cases open to question,and to varying interpretations. It is only possible at best to make inquiry in the big industrial centres, and to arrive at reasonable totals by deduction. While, therefore, it is impossible to say officially what is the total number of unemployed—it varies greatly, indeed, from week to week —a moderate estimate for March, according to good authorities outside the political and socialistic bodies, is 3,000,000, a figure which includes men and women of all classes. One fartor worth recalling is that between October, 1907, and March last, more than 000,000 persons have left for Europe, such an exodus being unparalleled. In the State of New York the amount of unemployment is admittedly greater than it is in other States. In December, 1906, according to the reports of the Department of Labour in the State of New York, 12.8 per cent, of union labour was unemployed, but in December, 1907, the percentage was 34.2. Mr Herman Robinson, general organiser of the American federation of Labour, which has good machinery for collecting statistics, says that 34.2 is too low, and declares that in New York City, on April Ist, at least 40 per cent, of the members of the labour unions were unemployed. The last report of the State Department of Labour give.« the membership of the labour unions in New York City, in September, 1907, as 286,470, and the present membership about 300,000. Without accepting the statistics of the socialist organisations, therefore, it may be safely said that the state of the labour market in America just now is exceptionally bad, and that the 600,000 who have migrated since November were well advised. It should also be remembered that until the Presidential election is over no great permanent improvement is anticipated.