§ Order of the Day for the Second Beading, read.
* THE EARL OF JERSEYMy Lords, I need only point out that this Bill is the same as that which was passed ten years ago, with the exception of three new points. A Committee was appointed to draw up the Bill, and they recommended that the following additions should be made in it: that in addition to the information hitherto obtained a column should be added to the Householders' Schedule which enables persons to be returned either as employers or employed, or as being neither employers nor employed; secondly, that persons living on their means should be enabled to state the 1525 fact in the Return; thirdly, that the number of rooms occupied by a family, where less than five rooms, should be stated. Those recommendations are carried out in the Bill. I should also say that no provision has been made assuggested in some quarters for a Quinquennial Census, or for a permanent Census Office, not because those might not be desirable objects, but because they would cause increased expenditure.
§ * THE EARL OF POWISI would call attention to Clause 14. It is intended that this census should be on the lines of the Act of 1880. Here it says, in line 24, that the constables or peace-officers in every parish shall be compelled to act as enumerators under this Act. The words used in the Act of 1880 are—"constables or other peace-officers for such parishes," which limits the employment, as is quite proper, to the parochial constables. Now, the words used here might mean county or other constables living in a particular parish. I do not believe it was intended to mix up the County Constabulary with the census; and, therefore, I would ask the noble Earl to consider whether he would not use the same language as is adopted in the Act of 1880, and say "for" every parish, instead of "in."
§ Bill read 2a (according to order), and committed to a Committee of the whole House on Monday next.