§ MR. SCHWANNI beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board, seeing that the enumerators for the late 258 Census commenced their work about seven weeks ago, and handed in their enumeration books, completed, five weeks ago, and that some of the returns have been compiled and issued, whether arrangements can be made to pay at once the remuneration of the enumerators, who are not all able to withstand delay in payment.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. WALTER LONG, Bristol, S.)The enumerators are paid through the superintendent registrars. I am informed by the Registrar General that payment has been made to 495 of the 636 superintendent registrars, and that it is anticipated that all the cases will be dealt with by the end of the week. The enumerators were informed before appointment that it was improbable they could all be paid before the middle or end of this month.
§ MR. MOONEY (Dublin Co., S.)On behalf of the hon. Member for St. Patrick Division of Dublin, I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will state the approximate cost of Census enumerators respectively in England, Scotland, and Wales, and also how much approximately is paid by way of extra remuneration for the same work to the Irish police.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN,) Worcestershire, E.The amounts provided in the current Estimates for Census enumerators are:—England and Wales, £114,000; Scotland, £26,000. It is not possible to say what proportion of these sums is paid for work corresponding to that done by the constabulary in Ireland, as the system is much more centralised in Ireland than in Great Britain; but the provision in the current estimates for "expenses of enumeration" in Ireland is £3,322, which is mainly for subsistence allowances to the constabulary engaged. The work of distributing and collecting Census papers is part of the ordinary duties of the constabulary, covered by their ordinary wages.