§ MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)asked the President of the Board of Trade, When Part 3 of the Return as to Wages, &c., for the past 50 years will be laid upon the Table; whether any, and what, steps are being taken to publish Returns of Wages and Cost of Living in this country; what steps are being taken to give effect to the Memorandum of August, 1886, as to the Department of Labour Statistics; and whether he will state the precise number of persons employed in the Labour Statistical Department, and their respective salaries and duties; and whether the Labour Correspondent is otherwise occupied than in the collection of Labour Statistics and of information relating to the condition of the labouring classes?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.), in reply, said, that the further Returns asked for in the Question, involved most laborious work, and he understood that they would not be ready for at least another 12 months. As to the other parts of the Question, perhaps he had better present a Memorandum to the House showing what had been done. The number of persons employed in the Labour Statistical Department was 10, including the Labour Correspondent. These, with the exception of the Labour Correspondent, were Lower Division Clerks.