CAPTAIN FABERI beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, looking at the fact that the Emigration Returns for Great Britain, which is a free trade country, amounted to 453,000 in 1904, and in Germany, which is protectionist, to only 28,000, and also looking at the destitution which exists at Woolwich owing to want of work, the Government can see their way to legislation which will safeguard our manufacturing industries, and so give more employment to those who wish for it.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. JOHN BURNS,) BatterseaThe figures mentioned in the Question do not seem to be comparable, for whilst those relating to the United Kingdom represent the total number of passengers leaving this country for places out of Europe in 1904, and include foreign passengers and also British and Irish passengers, whether emigrants or not, the figures relating to Germany appear only to include such 1156 Germans as can be stated to be leaving for settlement abroad. The promotion of the legislation which would be necessary to give effect to the suggestion in the last part of the Question would not be a matter within the province of my Department, but I should have thought that the views of the present Government on the subject of any legislation having protection for its object were sufficiently well known.
§ MR. JOHN BURNSThere are many remedies suggested for the unemployed difficulty, but the most unsatisfactory is protection.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINCan the right hon. Gentleman give us the figures for England which are comparable to the 28,000 for Germany?
§ MR. JOHN BURNSIf the right hon. Gentleman will give me notice, I shall be pleased to get the best available figures.
§ SIR GILBERT PARKER (Gravesend)Is it not the case that the emigrants for England number 34 per 10,000, and for Germany only 9 per 10,000.
§ MR. JOHN BURNSsaid he was not disposed to accept those Returns. There were many other things to be taken into account.
§ MR. J. M. ROBERTSON (Northumberland, Tyneside)Has the right hon. Gentleman any figures showing the ratio to population?
§ [No Answer was returned.]