Let the total remuneration paid to labourers be ₹ y and the number of labourers employed be x.
It is given that y varies directly as x i.e. .
∴ y = kx, where k is constant of variation
When x = 4, y = 1000.
∴ 1000 = k × 4
⇒ k = 250
So, the equation of variation is y = 250x.
When x = 17,
y = 250 × 17 = ₹ 4,250
Thus, the total remuneration of 17 labourers is ₹ 4,250.