§ Mr. Littleton moved for an account of the quantity of Hardware and manufactured Iron exported from England to the last year.
Mr. Humeexpressed his regret that he did not see any of his Majesty's Ministers in their places on this occasion, as he was anxious for some explanation of the fact why an annual account was not laid before the House of the amount of exports and imports of the United Kingdom. Such an account would be of the utmost importance, as well for the information to which Members would thus have easy access, as also for the great saving of expense which it would occasion. He had no doubt that a saving of some 30,000l. a-year might be made, by having one general account of exports and imports laid before the House every year, at the commencement of each Session. From the want of such account, 780 Members who desired information as to any particular branch of our exports and imports, were obliged to move for separate returns, by which great expense, and often great delay, were occasioned; and then the information was not obtained in that satisfactory manner which was desirable. He had that morning got an account from the United States of America, in which one might find at a glance the amount of exports and imports for any year during a number of years, and he did not see why a similar account should not be published by the Government of this country every year. He did not know what Ministers had to do that they could not publish such an account.
§ The motion was then agreed to.