48 
THE HOUSING QUESTION 
Dr. Macnamara : " Unemployment in the building industry 
at the present moment is of very small proportions, apart from 
those occupations which are either particularly liable to seasonal 
fluctuations in demand or have been specially affected by the 
shortage of craftsmen in the key trades of the industry. There 
appears to be no need for special legislation to be adopted for the 
building industry.” 
Mr. Watbrson : " Am I to understand that these men, who 
have been put into the industry and trained somewhat at the 
expense of the taxpayers, will probably, in the course of two 
years’ time, find themselves on the streets without any employment 
at all ? ” 
Dr. Macnamara : “ My Hon. Friend is not to understand 
that at all, and he will understand this rather remarkable fact 
that, of all the crafts I know of, there are only two, even in the 
present grave state of industrial depression, where the number of 
vacancies offered is smaller than the number of men offered. 
These two are the bricklayers and the plasterers." 
Now, on the 17th February, the same Minister had 
given the following statement as to unemployment 
in the Building Trade on that date :— 
Dr. Macnamara : " The number of men in the building trades 
of the United Kingdom on the live register of Employment 
Exchanges at 3rd February, the latest for which figures are avail 
able, is as follows :— 
" (I give also the vacancies notified). 
Numbers 
Vacancies 
Unemployed. 
Offered. 
Carpenters 
3.524 
817 
Bricklayers 
238 
5.576 
Masons 
74° 
266 
Slaters 
154 
8O 
Plasterers 
228 
774 
Painters 
25,514 
55 
Plumbers 
1,808 
147 
Labourers 
... • ... 32,016 
26 "