The report of the Ministry of Labour for 1925 reveals that the Unemployment Fund, from which the dole is paid, was £7,595,000 in debt at the end of the' year. The dole payments during the 12 months amounted to £49,814,762, representing an average—weekly payment of 188 2d. to 977,600 per sons. On an average about 169 persons were prosecuted monthly for fraudulent misrepresentation. 'The most prevalent type of fraud was claiming unemployment benefit when in employment, nearly half the cases falling within this cate-wary of 603,601 eases referred to the Chief Insurance officer, 442,051 had to be disallowed, made up' as follows:—Mis fe i $0,728 Voluntary. les ce ann Refused suitable employment 0 Not genuinely seeking work 140,609 rade dispute 20,206 Other gromnde 2.5000.) 42208!
The official figures show that although 349,274 women domestic servants were registered at—the employment exchanges for work only 129,847 filled vacancies, and of the fact that the demand for residential domestic servants still exceeds the supply. It} in, however, pleasing to note that! the Report says the reluctance of young women to take such employment appears gradually to be breaking down, The Trade Union Congress has concluded its week's Session at Bournemouth, and its domination by the moderate elements of Labour was the most noticeable thing about it. Perhaps the chief incident. the insolent communication from Tome sky, the head of the Russian Bolshevist trade unions. He spoke of the "betrayal" of the miners by certain leaders of the general strike 4nd the capitulation ment of thers. In his telegram he added:—"Even with finest, most dis ciplined and courageous army battle may be lost and army shattered if there are people on H. Q. and in entire officers' staff prepared shirk tight, prepare capitalists and then go.
The General Council of the Trades Union Congress stated last week plying to this intention of presumptuous criti and cannot countenance tolerable interference in. ish trade union affairs." Tomsky"s tirade has creat-great resentment among the delegates. Only one or tivo extreme Communists can be found to elfer the slightest excuse for the tone of -the' document, za! Heavy Tell From Road Accidents We continue to have an alarming [pymher of road accidents and each yeek_sees.a heavier toll. of deaths.
Sanday. there was a. collsian Vetween two of the five motor-cars
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.