DOMINION UNEMPLOYED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 June 1938, Page 10

DOMINION UNEMPLOYED

FALLING-OFF IN SEASONAL WORK. FIGURES FOR FOUR-WEEKLY PERIOD. Figures relating to unemployment registrations were released on Saturday by the Minister of Labour, the Hon H. T. Armstrong. The return as at June 4, 1938, including those on the register who, for health or other reasons are unfit for employment, discloses a reduction of 12,605, as against the corresponding figure for June 5, 1937. Compared with the position for last month, however, there is an increase of 407, this being brought about by the continued falling-off of seasonal employment. Details for the four-weekly period to June 4, 1938, are as follows: — Registered, but not on relief 1301 On sustenance awaiting place 4608 On Scheme No. 5 relief 2812 Total 8721 On sustenance, totally unfit for employment for health or other reasons, but being afforded relief from the Employment Promotion Fund 8000 For the four-weekly period under review, the expenditure from the fund under the heading of promotion of employment, as .distinct from relief expenditure, is estimated at £239,184. Mr Armstrong said that the increase of 407 shown on the previous month’s figures could be compared with the total of 1621 shown in the corresponding period last year. “We are getting hold of the men as they come off seasonal employment and sending them away to work before they qualify for sustenance,” said the Minister. “Some of them go on local body work, some on public work of various kinds, and work necessitated by the East Coast floods has taken quite a number of men. There is a fair amount of riverprotection work also going on in various parts of the country. We are not going to let the figures get out of hand.”