§ Mr. NEWMANasked the President of the Board of Trade, whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that while in the Annual Report for 1910 the number of trade unions is returned as 1,153, with a membership of 2,435,704, the current issue of the "Labour Gazette" bases the monthly figure for unemployment on returns received from 394 unions with a membership of 829,695; and whether, in view of the importance of obtaining an accurate unemployment figure as an index of the course of trade, he will take steps to ensure that replies are in the future obtained from a larger number of unions?
Mr. BUXTONThe difference between the total number of trade unionists and the number respecting whom monthly returns are obtained by the Board of Trade showing the percentage out of work is principally due to the fact that many trade unions do not pay unemployment benefit, and for this reason keep no record of members out of work sufficiently accurate for statistical purposes, while others pay unemployment benefit under such limited conditions that the record does not give a satisfactory measure of the fluctuations of employment. I can assure1438W the hon. Member that all available statistics known to my Department, which, afford a sound and continuous measure of the state of the labour market in every important trade, are utilised in the "Labour Gazette," but the Board of Trade are always open to receive and consider suggestions for the improvement or extension of the information.