SECOND READING. (Hansard, 24 July 1860)

§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGH
objected to the unnecessary details required by this Bill. What earthly use could there be in taking the names of every man, woman, and child, in England and Wales? 28,000,000 of names, which no man would ever read, to be bound up in 30,000 volumes! Why, it would be enough to form the foundation of a new Alexandrian Library. Besides this, the rank, profession, occupation, and condition of every person were to be stated, it was obvious that the occupation and profession were sufficient. Moreover they required to know what was the relation of every 83 person in a Souse to the bead of the family, and where each person was born—a question which many persons would be unable to answer. And it was to be remembered that the English inquiry at least would be very expensive, and these irrelevant inquiries would probably add some hundreds of thousands of pounds to the expense. It would be impossible to obtain this information in a single day; another day would be required, and the expense would be proportionally increased. He must say he greatly preferred the system of Ireland, which was much simpler, and where these particulars were not required.

THE EARL OF DONOUGHMORE
said, these particulars were required in Ireland, for he distinctly remembered that on the last occasion these particulars were required to be filled up in the papers left at his House; and more than that, there was a column for the blind, deaf, and dumb.

§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGH
That is here too.

THE EAEL OF DONOUGHMORE
The only difference between the two countries appears to be that in England the information is entered in a book, and in Ireland on separate sheets of paper.

§ EARL GRANVILLE
said, that all these particulars were required by the former Census, and the Home Secretary thought it desirable to continue the forms as exactly similar as possible. In England sheets were first left at every house, and afterwards collected. They were often written in pencil, and would be illegible by the time they had been turned over six or seven times. It was also a great assistance to the central office to have them copied into books, and in the case of sheets filled up in the Welsh language a translation was indispensable. It was not desirable to make changes which would perplex the enumerators. It was refreshing, however, for the Government to find themselves asked to omit details for which hitherto the pressure had been all the other way. There had been a great anxiety in some quarters to have an educational column, and one enthusiastic ethnographer was anxious to have returns of the number of people with different coloured hair, that some idea might be formed of the relative proportions of the Saxon and Danish races.

§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGH
said, his object in the remarks he had made had been to point out how all the statistics that were really necessary might be most simply and cheaply procured. If they got 84 a statement of the number, sexes, and ages of the people, they had all that, as a Legislature, it was possible for them to require. He did not think that the returns which would be obtained under this Bill would be such as they could rely upon, and the reason of that was simply that too much care was taken to make them perfect. First, a schedule was to be sent to each house; the enumerator was then to call and see that answers were attached to all the questions: having amended and completed the answers as well as he could he must proceed to copy them into a register: then the return had to be examined by the registrar, who, if not satisfied with it, was to make out another; the superintendent-registrar was to perform the same operation; so that by the time the return had been enlarged and amended by the various officers it would be a perfectly original document, on which they could hardly place much reliance. The truth was that the system was quite overburdened, and that the Irish system as it had hitherto prevailed was much superior.