H.—35.

During the financial year ended 31st March, 1934, the Board made grants to Women's Unemployment Committees totalling £11,410. A statistical summary of the registrations, &c., in the four main centres for the month of April, 1934, is as follows : — Previous Occupation. Registrations. Previous Ocoupation. Registrations. Office work .. .. 32 Housemaids and waitresses .. 24 Shop assistants . . .. 36 Nursing .. .. ■ • 12 Factory employees .. .. 82 Other . . . . 56 Domestic work .. .. 210 Cook-generals . . . . 26 Total .. . . 478 Age Groups. Registrations. Age Groups. Registrations. Sixteen to twenty .. ..274 j Over forty .. .. .. 75 Twenty-one to twenty-five 56 I Twenty-six to thirty 35 ! Total .. .. 478 Thirty-one to forty .. .. 38 As a guide to its policy in connection with unemployment relief for women and girls, the Board has maintained its reliance on the advice of a special Women's Advisory Committee. This committee made a further detailed investigation of the position during the latter part of 1933. UNEMPLOYED YOUTHS. Exceptionally fine work has been carried out during the past year by Boy Unemployment Committees in finding work for unemployed youths. During the twelve months ended 31st March, 1934, positions have been found for 4,783 boys, and, while some of the positions are of a temporary nature, the results reflect considerable credit on the efforts of the voluntary committees which have been set up to deal with this difficult problem. The Unemployment Board has continued to assist committees by making grants for the purpose of meeting administration, expenses, and during the year ended 31st March, 1934, £1,542 was granted to various committees for this purpose. The Board has also continued the payment of a subsidy for the training of sons of New Zealand soldiers at Flock House ; in addition, over 600 boys between the ages of eighteen and twenty years have been placed on farms, their wages, being subsidized from the Unemployment Fund, and a limited number of boys of sixteen years of age or over have been in receipt of training on farms under Scheme No. 7. ISSUE OF BOOTS AND BLANKETS TO RELIEF WORKERS. The issue of working-boots to relief workers employed under the Board's various schemes has proceeded satisfactorily, and up to the 31st March, 1934, 59,000 pairs of boots had been distributed. The Board, realizing the necessity of relief workers being provided with adequate footwear, particularly those men engaged in gold-prospecting, drainage works, and other such occupations, decided to make a further issue during the present year. Tenders were therefore called amongst bootmanufacturers throughout New Zealand, and orders have been placed with twenty-two firms for the manufacture of 30,000 pairs of boots. It is very gratifying to report that, of the 66,000 pairs of boots manufactured last year, no genuine complaints were* received regarding the quality of the footwear. This speaks highly of the standard set by the Board and of the workmanship and quality of the footwear produced by the various bootmanufacturers Towards the end of last year the Board purchased 5,500 pairs of grey blankets for issue to relief workers employed in camps. It became apparent that quite a number of relief workers employed in forestry and other camps were inadequately supplied with blankets, and, as the workers in the majority of cases were not in a position to purchase blankets themselves, the Board decided to make issues where necessary. These blankets become the property of the men after they have remained in camp for one month. Up to the 30th June, 1934, 2,000 pairs of blankets had actually been issued. The issue of blankets has been keenly appreciated by the workers and has considerably increased their comfort in the camps. J. A. Young, Chairman. W. Bromley, Deputy-Chairman. P. R. Climie, \ . G. A. Pascoe, /Members. G. C. Godfrey, Member, and Commissioner of Unemployment.

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