§ 57 and 58. Mr. MORRELLasked the Home Secretary (1) if he can state approximately the number of women and girls employed in factories and workshops either in the year 1912 or in the year 1913 or at the present time; and, if not, when such information will be available; and (2) when 452 the Return promised for the year 1912, showing the total number of persons employed in factories and workshops during that year, will be ready; and whether, in view of the fact that such Returns were given for the years 1904 and 1907, but no Returns have yet been published for any year since 1907, he will consider the desirability of publishing this Return at regular intervals?
§ Mr. McKENNAApproximate figures for the total number of women and girls employed in these years are not available, but the number for 1912 will be shown in the Return for that year now being tabulated, the textile part of which will, it is hoped, be published next month, and the remainder before the end of this year. It is already the practice to collect these Returns at regular intervals, but it was decided in 1910, under the powers conferred expressly for the purpose by Section 10 of the Census of Production Act, that the intervals at which the Returns are to be made should be the same as those for the Census of Production Returns. The Returns are accordingly now collected at intervals of five years.
§ Mr. MORRELLCan the right hon. Gentleman tell me why it has taken two years to tabulate Returns collected in 1912?
§ Mr. McKENNAThat question should be addressed to the Board of Trade.