FINANCIAL NOTES
APRIL UNEMPLOYMENT.
. HE April unemployment figures are once again incon- i,usive evidence of the industrial trend. The decline of 1,217 ' 13747,764 in unemployment is in the right direction, but is h-ss than the normal seasonal decline. In the more active 0,nditions of a year ago unemployment fell by some 150,000 (Continued on page 782) FINANCIAL NOTES (Continued from page 781) Again there are special circumstances connected with the present returns which may account for the downward trend being less marked than usual. The count, owing to the incidence of Easter, was taken at a specially early date and fell before Easter, whereas last year it was taken after the holiday. It represents, too, a bare three weeks' movements as compared with the usual month. Last year there was an exceptional volume of employment created by the Coronation prepara- tions. A special feature of the present figures is the decline in the position of the coal-mining industry, doubtless a reflection of the prolonged spell of fine weather. Some sections of the iron and steel industries also showed increased unemployment as a result of the increased imports of pig iron. But, rather surprisingly, the distressed area of the North as a whole shows up well compared with the Midlands,
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