There has happily been every appearance this week in London that a thoroughly festive Christmas season is in store for us. Further investigation has fully confirmed the news that there is no such exceptional distress as was pictured by alarmists a week or two ago. The latest figures issued from the Labour Department of the Board of Trade show that last month the percentage of the unomployed in the Trade Unions which make Tegular returns was 4.8 per cent; while the average for the end of November during the last ten years has been 4.6 por cent. If these figures may be taken as representative of the trade of the country there are but. two more per thousand of the working classes unemployed than usual. However, the note of alarm has produced a good effect. It has stimulated charity; and the warning of the expert has guided the main stream of this charity into the best channels.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.