HC Deb 21 October 1908 vol 194 cc1146-7
MR. BOTTOMLEY (Hackney, S.)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the form of Return required by his Department under the provisions of the Census of Production Act, 1906; whether he is aware of the amount of labour and expense that the furnishing of the detailed information asked for involves on the part of manufacturers and others; and whether he will consider the possibility of simplifying the form of Return.

MR. CHURCHILL

The schedules issued under the provisions of the Census of Production Act were carefully considered by the Board of Trade in consultation not only with a General Advisory Committee, but with Special Advisory Committees representing the principal trades of the country, and it is not possible to modify them at the present stage. Having regard to the very large number of Returns in the various trades which have already been received I have no reason to suppose that the obligations imposed by the Act are, generally speaking, found to be unduly onerous. We desire, however, to put manufacturers to the least possible labour and expense consistent with carrying out the provisions of the Act and where any difficulty arises in filling up the schedule every effort will be made to assist manufacturers if they will communicate directly with the Census of Production Office.

SIR A. ACLAND-HOOD (Somersetshire, Wellington)

Will the right hon. Gentleman consult the President of the Board of Agriculture as to the form of the Returns with regard to the production of timber and underwood, and will they consider the question of making the area the estate or the rural district rather than the parish, seeing that many plantations extend into more than one parish and it is almost impossible to make the Return parish by parish?

MR. CHURCHILL

I will make it my business to bring the observations of the right hon. Gentleman under the notice of my right hon. friend.

MR. YOUNGER (Ayr Burghs)

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the case of the brewery trade, for instance, much of the information asked for must be conjectural?

MR. CHURCHILL

I cannot answer as to the particular trades. But every effort is being made to obtain accurate information, and where the element of conjecture intervenes I think it will be made clear in the Return.