Evening star., 1923-07-01
FEWER IDLE In EUROPE.
OFFICIAL REPORTS SHOW
Improvement i'm Industrial Situation
General, Except in Germany and
Austria and Perhaps Italy.

occupied area continues, coal produc-
tion having practically ceased. and
the metelurgical, chemical and dye
production being greatly cut down,
All unemployment crises have been
avoided by the institution of repair
and extension work, which is being
financed largely by the government.
). The degree Of depression is being
indicated by returns of the trade
unions on total unemployment and
short-ttme work. Returns for March
from thirty-sixs trade union fedora
ttons, with a total membership of
6,117.611. showed that 1,s37,356 MEM
bers, or 24.2 per cent, were working
short time as against 1913 per cent
in February. OF the total number of
short-time workers, 20.6 per cent (27.7
in February lost between one and
eight hours per week 2S.5 per cent
(26:6 in February lost between nine
in February lost between seventeen
and twenty-four hours, and 1913 per
cent tt2.4 in February lost more
than twenty-four hours per week.
percentage Of short-time workers
were those Of the shoemakers (66.s
per cent?, textile workers (527 per
cent?, clothing workers (42.4 per
cent?, and tobacco workers (40.7 per
cent?. Returns from forty one trade
o. f,S4
members showed that S40.711 Of these
or b.7 per cent were totally unem-
rloyed In March, as against 55 per
cent in February. - =
The official statistics as to the num-
Der of unemployed persons in receipt
CT out-of-work donations are incom-
plete for March. returns relating to
the Rhine province not being avail
/ able. So far as they go, they show
that on April total of 224.s0S per-
| sons were wholly unemployed and re-
celved donations, as compared with
1918 on March /. A further 110,020
persons working short time were also
assisted from public resources AL
though the government dole by no
means meets the minimum cost of
has disbursed about II, 500. .00o, 900
marks in March for unemployment
Few In France are Idle.
France-In France unemployment
| Is almost nonexistent, the total num-
Der of unemployed receiving benefits
from departmental or municipal un-
employment funds being only 2,311
! on May "a, 1923. as against. 1925 in
March, 1921. when. Unemployment was
at the highegt level in France.
Italy-Since the recent abolition of
the ministry of labor by the Musso-
lini government, no official unemploy-
| ment statistics have been published
by the Italian governments. On jan
uary !, 1928. the number OF totally
unemployed was 381,96S and that Of
/, short time workers 42,58S The
| American commercial attache at
Rome reported under date of MAY S
that industry is on the whole rather
dull. After a pronounced revival
! from Industrial depression during the
second half Of 1922, unfavorable fea-
tures have again become manifest
II since the beginning Of the year. While
, no actual depression has set in, linn
, tied domestic demand and the failure
of export trade to expand satisfac-
, torily have checked Industrial pro-
| duction In many lines.
Belgium--Unemploy Is decreas-
ing from month to month. In March
| only 2.S per cent Of the recipients Of
unemployment FUNDS were out Of
work or working short time.
The Observation-Disclosures unem-
lployment has somewhat decreased in
March, the labor situation has been
uncertain, owing to numer-
ous large strikes.
Improvenaent in Switzerland.
: Switzerlsnd-The favorable devel-