§ MR. JOWETT (Bradford, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has observed that, among the 8,593 cases of bankruptcy reported by the Inspector-General of Bankruptcy during 1905, there is not one municipal trading concern; and whether, in view of that and other advantages connected with the system of municipal trading, he will seek the cooperation of the President of the Local Government Board with a view to the promotion of a Bill empowering municipalities to undertake the control of all such industries as a poll of the ratepayers; shall decide upon.
§ MR. LLOYD-GEORGEBankruptey proceedings do not apply in the case of municipal trading concerns, and their entire absence from the statistics of bankruptcy does not therefore afford any indication of their prosperity or otherwise.