§ Sir W. SUGDENasked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the statistics of unemployment in the insured industries ontained in the current issue of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" are presented differently from those contained in the previous issues of this publication; whether he is aware that the omission of figures giving the total number of workpeople employed in the various industries and of percentages showing the relation of unemployed to employed and the rise and fall of unemployment is an inconvenience to many subscribers to the journal; and whether he will consider the desirability of reverting to the former method of presenting such information in its entirety in the next and subsequent numbers?
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§ Mr. BETTERTONThe omission of the figures referred to is temporary and is due to a change in classification, designed to increase the utility of the statistics. The reasons are explained in greater detail in the current issue of the "Labour Gazette," where it is also stated that the publication of the omitted figures will be resumed as soon as possible.
NUMBER OF PERSONS ON THE LIVE REGISTER OF EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES IN THE AREAS STATED. Date. Great Britain. North-Eastern Area. Newcastle-on-Tyne, Elswick and Heaton. May 7th, 1923 … … … 1,203,796 202,559 20,747 June 4th, 1923 … … … 1,187,047 207,037 20,861 July 2nd, 1923 … … … 1,191,350 211,358 19,701 July 16th, 1923 … … … 1,180,661 214,276 20,113