In the Commons on Wednesday, under the Ten Minutes Rule,
Mr. Lloyd-George introduced a Bill to provide for taking a census of production. The Board of Trade Returns, though giving the volume of our foreign trade and other classified details, furnished no trustworthy statistics as regards our home trade, and the want of authoritative data was a serious drawback. If trade was going back or at a standstill, the sooner they knew it the better. If, on the contrary, it was making steady progress, it was desirable that all anxiety should be allayed as soon as possible. Without going fully into details, Mr. Lloyd-George stated that it was proposed to take in 1908, for the year 1907, under the supervision of the Board of Trade, a census of home industries,—of the output and production of our manufactures. The census would be compulsory, but the same security would be given as in the case of the Income-tax against the divulging of any information furnished by manufacturers, and it would be left to the House in Committee to determine whether the census should be biennial or quinquennial. Mr. Chamberlain having cordially supported the measure, subject to the guarantee that no particulars furnished should be disclosed, and promised to lend any assistance in his power to secure its efficiency, the Bill was read a first time.
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