§ Captain ERSKINE-BOLSTasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons at work in the cotton trade to-day as 1014W compared with the period from 1912 to 1914?
Mr. STANLEYThe only statistics, compiled by my Department, as to the numbers of persons at work in individual industries, are those which are obtained once a year by deducting the number of insured persons, aged 16 to 64, recorded as unemployed at the end of June from the total number of insured workers at the same date, as estimated on the basis of the annual exchange of unemloyment books. For the cotton industry in Great Britain the figures for the end of June, 1934, were as shown below:
Estimated number of insured persons, aged 16 to 64 467,370 Number of insured persons, aged 16 to 64, recorded as unemployed 107,907* Difference (persons in employment including those absent from work through sickness) 359,463 * At 22nd October, 1934, the corresponding total was 109,159. I regret that comparable figures are not available for any date prior to June, 1923.