§ MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade, Whether it is the intention of the Department of Labour Statistics to issue any periodical Return of present Labour Statistics; and, if so, when the first Return will be issued; and, whether any steps have been taken to give effect to the yet unexecuted proposals in the Memorandum issued by the Board of Trade in August, 1886?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir JAMES FERGUSSON) (Manchester, N.E.)(who replied) said: The question of the issue of periodical Returns has not yet been formally taken up by the Department. It is expected that this question may be considered more properly after experience has been gained by the issue of Returns on special points such as have been issued since the Department was 247 formed, including the notices which have appeared from time to time—and lately month by month—in The Board of Trade Journal. The proposals in the Memorandum issued by the Board of Trade in August, 1886, are being carried out as rapidly as possible with the means at the disposal of the Department. With regard to the more important of them—namely, the census of wages—the Department have issued no fewer than 57,936 Circulars to employers in 94 trades requiring the use of many forms and schedules. The number of Returns received is 7,836, and further Returns are coming. The labour is one of very great magnitude; and the work of digesting these Returns so as to throw light on the relative numbers of the wage-earning classes employed at different rates of wages, which is deemed to be essential, must necessarily take much time.