UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3004, 29 September 1908, Page 5

UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM.

ARMY COUNCIL'S 07FER. Kaceived September 28, 8.50 a.m. LONDON, September 27. The Secretary of State for War, the Right Hon. R. B. Haldane, speaking at Ladybank, and referring to the unemployed problem, said the Army Council had offered 17,000 young men six months' training, which would tide them over the winter.

British trade has been declining this year at an average rate of more than ten millions a month, says a Home paper of August 15. The decline in imports and exports taken altogether ior the month of July is more than twelve million pounds compared with last year, and the decline for the first seven months of this year is over seventy-one million: pounds. This steadily growing decrease of business becomes" more serious when the very large amount of unemployment that has existed throughout this year is remembered. It is true that the years 1906 and 1907 were "boom" years for British trade, but it is equally true that, though manufacturers' output was enormous, they were doing business on a very small scale of profit, and their reserves against a period or depression are not large. A White-paper on unemployment issued by the Local Government Board, with the authority of a Free Trade Minister—Mr John Burns-is mainly made up of reports from the distress committees appointed in the principal to»vns to administer the Unemployed Workmen Act. They cover the year ending, March 31st- last. A great many of these reports—and especially .those from towns whose manufactures have to meet the competition of America and German dumperß—are of the most gloomy character, and show an extent of trade depression aurh* as ought not to exist in a country with any claims to prosperity and wealth. During the year these distress committees received .application's for assistance from 90,057 people, or 6 per 1,000 of the population, as compared with the 87,000 or 5.7 oer 1,000, in tha preceding year. Many of the committees, however, take care to point out that the number of applications for relief does not nearly convey the extent of the unemployment in their towns. They say that the trade unionists out of work do not cpply to them for help, and that a very large percentage of non-unionist workmen are too proud to ask tor assistance, which they place on much the same level as outdoor relief. The increase in the total number of applications occurred chiefly in London, where there were 32,624 applications, or 4,443 in excess of the previous year. In Poplar the increase was over 50 per cent. In London a number of men were drafted to the farm and labour colonies, but the majority were given employment on works instituted for the purpose. In all 6,066 persons were assisted to emigrate at a total cost of £30,996 for London and £11,784 for the provinces. The total expenditure in the year was £225,687.

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