§ Mr. MARTINasked why officers of the Civil Service and of local authorities already in receipt of good salaries have been appointed as census enumerators and clerks, instead of giving capable persons wholly unemployed a chance of earning something?
§ Mr. BURNSThe first object of the Registrar-General was to obtain the services of competent persons to act as enumerators; and amongst the best qualified persons are some who have been trained in the Civil Service or Municipal Services. But the "election of enumerators was not confined to such persons.
§ Mr. MALCOLMasked the President of the Local Government Board whether the suffragette agitation against the Census is likely to affect prejudicially the accuracy of our statistics of population; and if he will give the House the earliest official information as to the approximate number of persons of both sexes who have evaded the law by failing to disclose their ages upon the Census paper?
§ Mr. BURNSI do not anticipate that the suffragette agitation against the Census will have any appreciable effect upon the accuracy of the statistics of population. According to the information that has reached me up to the present, the number of individuals who have evaded being enumerated is altogether negligible.
§ Mr. CLYNESIs it intended to take proceedings against those who deliberately evaded the Census?
Mr. KINGasked when the first results of the Census may be expected to be communicated to the public; in what form will they be issued; and whether the population figures of the various Parliamentary constituencies will be issued at the earliest possible date?
§ Mr. BURNSThe preliminary report on the Census of England and Wales, dealing with the totals of the population (male and female) in the various administrative and registration areas (as furnished by the local Registrars of Births and Deaths) will, it is hoped, be issued in the course of June next. The population of the several Parliamentary constituencies will be given in this Report.
Mr. KINGasked whether any special difficulties have been experienced in taking the Census; whether the population of the United Kingdom have co-operated willingly in filling in the Census schedules; and whether there is reason to believe that, compared with previous Census' enumerations, the results of the 1911 Census will show increased accuracy and reliability?
§ Mr. BURNSSo far as I have learned at present there have been no special difficulties experienced in the taking of the Census in this country, and I hope that the results will be certainly not less accurate and reliable than those of preceding Censuses.
§ Mr. LEEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the street in which I have the honour to live no attempt has been made to collect the papers?
§ Mr. BURNSIf the hon. Gentleman will give me the name of his street there will be a man there to-morrow morning.