§ 57. Mr. CHIOZZA MONEYasked the Prime Minister if he is aware that, tested 1726 by the new emigration statistics, the net emigration of persons previously resident in the United Kingdom, whether British, or alien, amounted to 209,331 in the six months ended September, 1912, and that, tested by the old method of estimating emigration, namely, by the balance outwards of passengers to places out of Europe, emigration for the nine months ended 30th September, 1912, amounted to 269,130; if these facts are somewhat at variance with the estimate of am emigration of 270,000 in the past twelve months, given to the House on 28th October; and whether, seeing that the facts for the last nine months, and especially the facts for the last six months, show a great acceleration of emigration to a point approximating to the natural increase of population, and that the birth-rate is still rapidly falling, and that the recent fall in the death-rate cannot proceed beyond a certain point, he will, in view of the seriousness of the question, promise that no further encouragement shall be given to public or private emigration agencies?
The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of TRADE (Mr. Robertson)My hon. Friend has not correctly stated the result of applying the old method of estimating emigration from the United Kingdom, which was to take the balance outward to countries out of Europe of passengers of British nationality. For the nine months ended 30th September, 1912, this number was 223,150—a figure which is-not at variance with the estimate of emigration in the answer by the Prime-Minister to my hon. Friend's question ort 28th October. I cannot agree that the figures available prove that emigration this year has increased greatly as compared with last year.
§ Colonel YATECan the hon. Gentleman say how many of those emigrants are men and how many women, and will he take any steps to facilitate the emigration of women?