§ Mr. GRETTONasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the present state of employment in the United States of America; and if he can give the latest return of the numbers of the unemployed there?
§ Sir M. BARLOWI have been asked to reply. I am unable, unfortunately, to supply the hon. and gallant Member with precise information as to the present state of unemployment in the United States of America, since the United States Government do not publish periodical statistical returns on this subject. It would appear, however, that in September last the United States Secretary of Labour estimated that there were then 1½ million totally unemployed and an equal number of partially unemployed persons in the country; and he was of opinion that these figures indicated a return to the normal level of unemployment throughout the country. Evidence of some further improvement in the situation is afforded by returns made to the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics by representative firms, comparing the months of September and October. From these it appears that these firms employed, in the aggregate, about 3 per cent, more workers in the latter month than in the former.