HC Deb 26 November 1908 vol 197 cc675-6
EARL WINTERTON

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the precise difficulties which his Department has met with in attempting to obtain accurate comparable statistics of trade union unemployment in this country and in Germany.

SIR H. KEARLEY

I would refer the noble Lord to Appendix IX. (pp. 521–4) of the Report on "Cost of Living in German Towns" [Cd. 4032] issued by the Board of Trade last April in which the difficulties are set out in detail.

EARL WINTERTON

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that his right hon. colleague some time ago said he was endeavouring to obtain a more accurate comparison of the amount of unemployment and would make a further statement? I want to know what special difficulties he has met with.

SIR H. KEARLEY

They are set out in detail in the paper I have referred to.

EARL WINTERTON

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he can, from information in the possession of his Department, state if the difference in the method of obtaining statistics relating to trade union unemployment in this country and in Germany is so great as to render the statistics given in the Board of Trade Labour Gazette of unemployment in September 1908 in the two countries valueless for the purposes of comparison.

SIR H. KEARLEY

The difficulties referred to in my Answer to the previous Question (which are not solely or mainly due to differences in the method of obtaining the statistics) are in the judgment of the Board of Trade so great as to render any useful comparison between the two sets of figures impossible.

EARL WINTERTON

Then are we to understand that in 1908 the percentage of unemployment in Germany was 2.4, while in England it was 6 or 7. Are we to accept that as the effect of his Answer?

SIR H. KEARLEY'S

reply was inaudible.