§ MR. FELLI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if the Report by the Board of Trade on the question of wages and prices in Germany has been withdrawn; and whether such withdrawal is for correction only or is final.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe Report in question has not been withdrawn, and is now on sale. A page containing a clerical error obviously inconsistent with the text has been corrected.
§ MR. JAMES HOPEWill similar information be obtained regarding Belgium?
§ MR. CHURCHILLsaid a similar inquiry was in contemplation, and would, he hoped, be shortly begun in connection with the United States. No doubt such an inquiry in relation to Belgium would be interesting, but these inquiries were expensive, and the Board of Trade must be careful not to embark upon them too lightly.
§ MR. FELLI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade by whose authority and at whose instance the Report on prices and wages in Germany was prepared; what is the approximate cost of this Report, and out of what Vote will it be paid; and if the instructions to the persons who made the inquiries will be laid upon the Table.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe Report in Question was prepared by the authority and at the instance of the President of the Board of Trade. The cost of printing is borne by the Stationery Office Vote, and amounts to about £400. The cost of 1250 making the inquiry in Germany is borne by the Board of Trade Vote, and, amounted to about £4,000. The instructions given by the Board of Trade are not embodied in any single document, but the methods adopted in the inquiry are clearly indicated in the volume, especially on page V. of the Prefatory Note and pages XI., XII., XIII., XVIII., XXIX., XXX. and XXXVII. of the General Report.
§ MR. FELLCan corrected copies of the Report now be purchased? And how will further mistakes if discovered be dealt with?
§ MR. CHURCHILLAll documents emanating from Government Offices are very carefully prepared, but sometimes a misprint escapes attention.
§ MR. LYTTELTON (St. George's, Hanover Square)In what form has the correction been made? I understood it had been inserted in the Blue-Book.
§ MR. CHURCHILLA part of the issue had already gone out when the mistake was discovered. I assume the right hon. Gentleman does not suggest it was an intentional mistake, because that would be a slur on the permanent official.
§ MR. LYTTELTONOh. no.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI am glad to hear that. The issue was stopped immediately the error was discovered to enable a new page to be substituted for the incorrect one.