§ Mr. DAYasked the Minister of Labour whether his Department has any statistics that will show the unemployment in the mining industry and the percentage of all the workers employed in this industry in Germany, France, and the United States of America; and will he give such information?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MA1TLANDThe only available statistics are as follow:—
Germany.—The figures relate to mining workers of all kinds (coal, lignite, peat, salt, ore, etc.). At the end of October, 1928, 21,247 mining workers were registered at the official employment exchanges as available and seeking work. At the same date, the mining workers' trade unions making returns (representing 151,700 mining workers) reported 1.8 per cent. of their membership as wholly unemployed and 4.1 per cent. as working short time. 2152W There are over 700,000 mining workers in Germany.
France.—The official report on employment in France for 7th December, 1928, states that "in mines and quarries, the offers of employment remaining unfilled (1,782) are still much greater than the applications for employment (21)."
United States.—No statistics of employment or unemployment in the mining industry are published.