NON-EXPORTING INDUSTRIES. 
Evidence is not lacking that even the non-exporting trades 
are at the present time suffering from the effect of trade depression, 
and the following table relating to the Building Trade shows how, 
during the course of the present year, unemployment has been 
steadily Increasing :— 
NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES UNEMPLOYED. 
BUILDING, ETC. 
(Ministry of Labour Statistics.) 
Monthly Average. | 
1927 ... es 
1928 ... a a3 
1929 ... - 
1930 :— 
January 
February 
March 
April 
May . 
June 
July i. 
August ... 
September ... 
October ... 
Total Unemployed. 
114,034 
133,591 
145.700 
197,609 
194,903 
“77,705 
160,232 
{47,548 
147,082 
"60,727 
66,171 
77,869 
200.204 
Percentage. 
11-8 
13-7 
14-7 
20-0 
19-7 
17-9 
16-2 
14-9 
14-4 
15-8 
16-3 
17-6 
19-7 
Appended “ G ” is a table showing the rates of wages prevailing 
in the chief Municipalities for certain classes of labour. 
Engineering shop rates range throughout the country from 54/- 
to 62/11 for fitters and from 39/- to 45/6 for labourers. Municipal 
rates for the same classes range approximately from 55/- to 85/- 
and 40/5 to 59/6 respectively. 
It is important to keep in mind, as mentioned on page 7, 
that wages should not be confused with earnings. 
There can be no doubt that the high wages paid in sheltered 
industries make a very serious contribution to the present high 
cost of living in this country. 
One cannot suggest to what extent rent and the prices of 
houses would be affected by a reasonable reduction in the wages of