AVAILABLE WORK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 June 1938, Page 7

AVAILABLE WORK

Mr HAMILTON’S FIGURES CRITICISED. MINISTER’S ONSLAUGHT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) FEILDING, June 17. Speaking at Feilding last night, .the Minister of Labour, the Hon H. T. Armstrong, criticised statements by the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon A. Hamilton, regarding the unemployment figures, when Labour- took office. He also alleged that some newspapers did not publish the true figures given by him. “There are 41,000 more people employed in shops and factories alone." said Mr Armstrong. "Does not that knock Mr Hamilton’s statement that only 35,000 were unemployed in November, 1935, sky high? What about farms also? Are they not employing more labour than when we took office, to say nothing of hotels and restaurants. I put the number employed in ships, factories and private enterprise at least another 20.000, making 01,000. The State, including public works, employs 18,000 more since Labour came into office. Therefore, my official returns show that employment has been found for 79,000 people who were unemployed when Labour took office. “If we still have unemployed I am not exaggerating when I say that there were 100,000 unemployed, and not 35,000, as Mr Hamilton said, when we took office.”