domestics, 4 cooks and 6 hotel and household workers, to Dauphin, one saw mill labourer and to the Winnipeg zone 22 farm labourers, one farm housekeeper and one cook. The interprovincial movement included 107 farm hands, going to various points in Saskatchewan, 2 farm generals, 3 housekeepers, one cook, one waitress and one painter to Regina, one kiln setter and 4 farm domestics to Saskatoon, 2 farm generals to Estevan, one general to Swift Current, one farm housekeeper to Moose Jaw, 2 farm labourers, 132 bush workers, five cooks and 3 waitresses to the Port Arthur zone, and one farm labourer to Edmonton. Saskatchewan offices issued 169 certificates all provincial, 139 of which were for farm labourers and 16 household workers. Moose Jaw despatched 2 rock pickers to points within its own zone; Prince Albert sent one carpenter to Regina and 9 saw mill labourers to points within its own zone. Regina transferred one mechanic to Moose Jaw, and Saskatoon one labourer to North Battleford. The offices in Alberta granted 229 certificates, 176 to workers travelling to employment within the province and 53 to other provinces. Of the latter, Saskatoon received 47 farm labourers and 2 housekeepers and North Battleford one farm labourer, all from Edmonton. Swift Current received one cook and Saskatoon two farm labourers from Calgary. The provincial movement included 15 mill hands, 60 farm labourers, 2 blacksmiths, one plasterer, 2 engineers, one plumber, 12 bushmen, 3 labourers, 4 cooks, one janitor, 2 teamsters, 2 clerks, one electrician, 2 electric welders, one porter, one housekeeper and one chambermaid going from Edmonton to points within its own zone and 3 farm labourers travelling to Lethbridge, 10 farm hands and one labourer to Calgary and one farm labourer to Drumheller also from Edmonton. From Calgary 26 farm hands and one housekeeper and one porter were transferred to Drumheller, 2 farm labourers to Lethbridge, one bushman and 5 farm labourers to Edmonton and 12 farm labourers, one farm housekeeper and one ranch rider within the Calgary zone. In British Columbia 185 special rate certificates were issued, 55 to points within the province and 130 to other provinces. Vancouver transferred one engineer and one electrician to Cranbrook, one farm worker, one miner and three labourers to Kamloops, one cook to Revelstoke, 4 farm labourers, 3 flunkeys, 2 sawyers, and one dogger to Penticton, one miner, 3 sawyers and 3 engineers to Prince George, one engineer to Nelson and 2 cooks, 2 labourers and one engineer within the Vancouver zone. Nelson sent 2 miners to Cranbrook and 2 bushworkers and one labourer within its own zone. Prince Rupert despatched one miner, Penticton 2 farm labourers and Prince George 11 bushmen, one cook, one lumber piler, one edgerman and one tail sawyer to their respective zones. In addition one railway foreman was transferred from Prince George to Kamloops. Except for 2 cooks travelling from Vancouver to Calgary and Drumheller respectively all the interprovincial transfers were for farm hands including 35 to Alberta, 91 to Saskatchewan and 2 to Manitoba. Of the 1,568 workers who benefited by the Employment Service reduced rate 762 were carried by the Canadian National Railways, 781 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, 17 by the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway, 6 by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway and 2 by the Kettle Valley Railway. REPORT OF THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF CANADA FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY TO MARCH, 1926 THE volume of business transacted by the offices of the Employment Service of Canada during the quarter January to March, 1926, was somewhat less than that effected during the corresponding quarter of 1925 as there was a decrease of 4 per cent in the vacancies offered and of 6 per cent in the placements effected in regular and casual employment. This reduction in both instances was due to lessened activity in highway construction, and was partially offset by substantial gains in both vacancies and placements in all the other industrial divisions. All provinces, except Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia showed increases in both vacancies and placements. Although Mani toba showed a decrease in positions offered, placements registered were higher, while Ontario and British Columbia were the only provinces where losses were shown in both cases. The accompanying table gives the vacancies and placements of the Employment Service of Canada by industrial groups in the various provinces during the period January to March, 1926. From the chart on page 491 which accompanies the article on the work of the employment offices for the month of March, it will be seen that the trend of the curves representing the ratio of vacancies and placements to applications has been generally upwards since the first of the quarter, and positions offered 899 and of placements effected 812, in contrast with a daily average of 1,469 applications, 942 vacancies and 869 placements in regular and casual employment during the first quarter of 1925. During the three months, January to March, 1926, the offices of the Service reported that they had made 65,665 references to positions and had effected a total of 61,687 placements, of which 40,435 were in regular employment and 21,252 in casual work. Of the placements in regular employment, 31,229 were of men and 9,206 of women, while casual work was found for 11,348 men and 9,904 women. A comparison with the same period of 1925 shows that 66,025 placements were then made, of which 39,143 were in regular employment and 26,882 in casual work. Applications for employment during the period under review were received from 74,747 men and 28,319 women, a total of 103,066, in contrast with a registration of 111,624 during the same period of 1925. Employers notified the Service during the first quarter of 1926 of 68,324 positions, of which 44,555 were for men and 23,769 for women, as compared with 71,557 opportunities for work offered during the corresponding period of 1925. In another section of this issue will be found a report in detail of the transactions of the employment offices for the month of March. BUILDING PERMITS ISSUED IN CANADA DURING MARCH, 1926 THE value of the building authorized in 60 cities during March, standing at $10,538,423, was 48.3 per cent greater than the total of $7,104,343 in the preceding month, and 22.3 per cent above the aggregate of $8,613,732 in March, 1925. The total for the month under review was larger than for March of any other year since 1920, with the exception of 1922, when the projected building in the cities was estimated to cost $10,595,196. At the same time, the index number of wholesale prices of building materials was lower in March, 1926, than in any other month of those years. Some 50 cities furnished detailed statements showing that they had authorized the construction of nearly 1,200 dwellings valued at approximately $5,300,000 and of over 1,900 other buildings estimated to cost more than $4,800,000. In February, permits were issued for some 600 dwellings and 1,000 other buildings, valued at approximately $2,570,000 and $4,200,000, respectively. As compared with February, 1926, all provinces except Quebec and Saskatchewan registered increases in the value of the permits issued; in those two provinces there were losses of 22.3 per cent and 15.6 per cent, respectively. Ontario cities reported the largest absolute gain of $2,800,960, or 135.0 per cent, but the proportionate increases in New Brunswick, Manitoba and Alberta greater. were All provinces except Manitoba recorded higher aggregates of building permits issued than in March, 1925. The increases of $871,335 or 56.7 per cent in Quebec and $441,427, or 10.0 per cent, in Ontario were the most pronounced absolute gains, but New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta regis tered larger percentage increases. Toronto and Winnipeg reported greater totals of proposed building than in either February, 1926, or March, 1925. In Montreal, there was a decline in the former and an increase in the latter comparison. On the other hand, Vancouver reported building at a higher estimated cost than in the preceding month, but there was a slight falling off as compared with the same month of last year. Sydney, Fredericton, St. John, Quebec, Westmount, Chatham, Fort William, Galt, Guelph, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, the Townships of York, Welland, Windsor, Sandwich, Brandon, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Nanaimo, Point Grey, South Vancouver and Victoria reported higher building permits than in either February, 1926, or March, 1925. Cumulative Record for First Quarter, 1926. The table following shows the value of the building authorized during the first quarter of each year since 1920. The average index numbers of wholesale prices of building materials during the first three months of those years are also given. (1913-100). Average indexes of Year Value wholesale prices of building materials |