§ 1. Mr. WOMERSLEYasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the average annual cost of obtaining information under the Census of Production Act, 1906; and if he can give any information as to whether producers in this country find the information of value?
§ Mr. A. M. SAMUEL (Secretary, Overseas Trade Department)The expenditure on the Third Census of Production is expected to be about £100,000. The average annual expenditure on such censuses depends upon the frequency with which they are taken. There is no doubt, judging by the requests which come to my Department for information such as the Census will provide, that its results will be of very great value to the nation.
§ Mr. WOMERSLEYIs the hon. Gentleman aware that many firms regard the filling in of these forms as a nuisance, and that many object to the cost entailed in preparing the figures?
§ Mr. SAMUELI am convinced that although these firms may have objections to the cost or even to the trouble entailed in filling up these forms, the returns will in the long run be of great value to the mercantile community as a whole.