§ Lord E. PERCYasked the Minister of Labour what was the smallest number of insured workers recorded as unemployed in each of the following industrial groups on any date since 1st January, 1929, and what was the largest number employed on any date in the same period: steel smelting and iron puddling furnaces, iron and steel rolling mills and forges; general engineering, engineers' iron and steel founding; shipbuilding and ship repairing; cotton; woollen and worsted; textile bleaching, printing, and dyeing; building; public works contracting; dock, harbour, river and canal service, and distributive trades?
§ Miss BONDFIELDPrecise statistics regarding the number of persons actually in employment in these industries at any given date are not available. The estimated numbers of insured persons classified as belonging to the various industries are available only in respect of the beginning of July of each year, and the numbers of such persons recorded as unemployed can be given only for one date in each month.
Figures on this basis are given in the following Table:
1557W1558W
Industry. Estimated Number of insured persons aged 16 to 64. Number of insured persons recorded as unemployed in 1929. July, 1928. July, 1929. 21st Jan., 1929. 25th Feb., 1929. 25th March, 1929. 22nd April, 1929. 27th May, 1929. 24th June, 1929. 22nd July, 1929. 26th August, 1929. 23rd Sept., 1929. 21st Oct., 1929. Steel Melting and Iron Puddling Furnaces, Iron and Steel Rolling Mills and Forges. 178,510 178,700 36,115 35,334 31,370 32,728 32,545 34,420 35,586 35,785 33,953 35,820 General Engineering: Engineers' Iron and Steel Founding 575,240 579,800 62,372 58,863 52,306 52,250 54,592 50,642 51,619 55,764 57,819 57,349 Ship-building and Ship Repairing 191,360 192,480 53,323 49,998 47,698 44,178 43,651 42,824 43,740 45,293 46,888 47,840 Cotton 553,800 554,500 62,617 66,001 63,612 76,070 77,780 76,044 80,129 82,340 70,154 67,626 Woollen and Worsted 241,420 237,660 36,502 31,606 27,081 25,469 27,862 33,545 37,679 35,684 35,012 37,186 Textile Bleaching, Printing, Dyeing, etc. 107,870 107,160 18,469 16,736 15,319 17,202 19,253 14,791 16,980 23,412 23,814 22,640 Building 802,200 810,620 159,219 199,330 101,069 79,925 69,852 67,742 69,010 73,058 84,585 104,176 Public Works Contracting, etc 155,570 158,430 41,735 48,136 35,722 32,309 30,373 28,807 30,069 31,364 32,566 34,919 Dock, Harbour, River and Canal Service 167,420 167,750 52,104 55,656 52,849 54,876 53,221 53,044 50,596 49,905 48,020 46,079 Distributive Trades 1,582,290 1,646,070 106,252 110,450 99,910 97,074 91,275 88,391 87,174 92,201 96,986 103,344