§ MR. BROADHURSTasked the President of the Board of Trade, If any and what objections exist to the preparation and presentation to Parliament annually of Statistics relating to the Manufacturing Industries of the United Kingdom, showing the increase or decrease in the number of factories, persons employed, and amount of machines at work, in some similar form to the Statistics relating to agriculture annually laid upon the Table?
§ MR. CHAMBERLAIN, in reply, said, that in answer to his hon. Friend, he had to inform him that statistics of the kind referred to in his Question had been for some time past moved for in Parliament and presented at intervals of five years with respect to textile industries. Full Returns, including all branches of trade, were presented in 1871; but he agreed that more frequent Returns were desirable. He should communicate with his right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department as to whether such a Return could not again be presented and continued at reasonable intervals.