§ Mr. Parkerasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the national registration enumerators were compelled to work a far longer period than was expected to collect and send in the information acquired; that their pay in many cases worked out at between 4d. and 6d. an hour; and whether he will consider making them a supplementary payment when their work has been satisfactory so as to give them a reasonable return?
§ Mr. ElliotWhile the work of a National Register enumerator has been greater than that of an enumerator at an ordinary census, this difference was foreseen and allowed for in the scale of fees. The fees are made up partly of a fixed sum and partly of a sum calculated on a population basis. The fixed fee is the same as at the last census, although the enumeration districts are on average only three-quarters of the size of the census districts. The fees based on population are double those for the last census, although much of the enumeration work was simpler. The enumeration work was of the nature of piece work, and the method of doing it was left largely to the discretion of the individual enumerator. It is not possible therefore to adopt an alternative basis of payment according to time. I much appreciate the efforts which the enumerators made to complete this important national service within the scheduled time, and congratulate them upon the successful result of their work, but while some districts may have presented special difficulties, I regret that I cannot undertake to vary the scale of fees to meet individual cases.