HL Deb 23 July 1850 vol 113 cc138-9
The EARL of MALMESBURY

said, that before the Order of the Day for the third reading of this Bill was read, he would suggest that some improvements should be made in the forms of the returns by which the census was taken. He particularly dwelt on the erroneous results which were deduced from dividing the population returns into two such classifications as the agricultural population and the commercial, trading, and manufacturing population. For instance, Dorchester, and towns of that size and description, were classed among the trading and manufacturing, when they ought rather to be classed among the agricultural population. He wished to revert to the old form, and to class the inhabitants of such towns under the heads to which they respectively belonged. These returns were of great importance as statistical documents, and it was necessary that they should be correct, as they had been frequently quoted in defence of the policy recently adopted on all great questions affecting agriculture.

LORD MONTEAGLE

called attention to a circumstance of some importance as regarded the Irish Population Bill. Formerly the Irish census was taken in the months of July and August, when a large number of the agricultural labourers of Ireland were engaged in reaping the harvests of England. Now, it was to be taken in the month of March—a period when all those labourers were in their own cabins in Ireland. This would give an apparent, but not a real, increase of 200,000 to the population of Ireland. He hoped that some measure would be adopted for the correction of this error.

LORD STANLEY

thought that the manner in which the population returns were drawn up was calculated to mislead the public with respect to the relative proportion of the manufacturing and agricultural interests. In the country towns and villages every tradesman and artisan was dependent on the agricultural interest, and yet in the returns those classes were ranged under the head of manufacturers.

EARL GREY

was of opinion that it would be unwise to alter the present mode of mating the population returns, unless the change were a decided improvement.

EARL GRANVILLE

was understood to say that Lord Monteagle's suggestion should be attended to.

Bill was read 3a, with an Amendment, and passed, as was also the Population (Ireland) Bill.