§ MR. J. DEVLIN (Belfast, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can state the number of women and young girls employed in the mills, factories, and workshops in Belfast, and also the number of such persons who are under the age of eighteen years or half-timers; and, if not, whether he will have a Return prepared giving this information.
§ MR. GLADSTONEI have not the figures for which the hon. Member asks, but I may refer him to the Report on the conditions of work in flax and linen mills made in 1904 by Sir Hamilton Freer-Smith, superintending inspector of factories, on pages 18 and 19 of which he will find some tables of statistics of persons employed in flax factories. If these contain sufficient information for 287 his purpose he will perhaps not think it necessary to ask for a special Return, which would take considerable time and trouble to prepare.