asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the total number of firms engaged in each of the industries: (1) tobacco, (2) boots and shoes, (3) glass bottles, (4) soap and candles, (5) motor bodies, (6) sugar confectionery (including jam), (7) brush-making, (8) shirts and collars, (9) blankets, blanketing and rugs (other than floor rugs), (10) hosiery and knitted goods, (11) wholesale clothing (i.e., men's and boys' factory-made clothing), hats, caps, ties and umbrellas, (12) handicraft tailoring, dressmaking, millinery, corsets, etc.; (13) furniture, (14) metallic bedsteads, (15) oatmeal, (16) margarine, (17) rosary beads, (18) woollens, and (19) down quilts, whose number of employees had been accounted for in the returns which have been published showing the employment in these protected industries on (a) 1st September, 1931; (b) 1st March, 1933, and (c) 1st September, 1933, respectively.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Industrial Firms.
The Census of Production Reports published by my Department must be regarded as the normal source of information relating to the number of concerns and the number of persons employed in any industry, as well as other details relating to Saorstát industries. It is difficult and in many cases impossible to give information by way of Parliamentary reply or otherwise in advance of the completion of the official inquiries which precede the issue of Census of Production Reports, and I wish it to be understood that ordinarily I will not attempt it. I have decided, after considerable hesitation, to give the Deputy the information he requires in relation to such of the industries mentioned in the question for which comparable figures for the different dates are available. This information is not available for the industries at 7, 11 and 13 of the question as it was collected on a different basis for 1933 than in previous years. As regards item No. 12, I would refer the Deputy to my reply to his question of January 31st, 1934. In respect to the remaining industries the following is the information:—
|
1st Sept., 1931 |
1st Mar., 1933 |
1st Sept., 1933 |
|
|
(1) Tobacco |
17 |
17 |
18 |
|
(2) Boots and Shoes |
9 |
12 |
16 |
|
(3) Glass Bottles |
— |
1 |
1 |
|
(4) Soap and Candles |
11 |
10 |
14 |
|
(5) Motor Bodies |
24 |
45 |
54 |
|
(6) Sugar Confectionery |
51 |
55 |
63 |
|
(8) Shirts and Collars |
39 |
45 |
44 |
|
(9) Blankets |
14 |
16 |
16 |
|
(10) Hosiery |
31 |
40 |
47 |
|
(14) Metallic Bedsteads |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
(15) Oatmeal |
20 |
84 |
53 |
|
(16) Margarine |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
(17) Rosary Beads |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
(18) Woollens |
20 |
20 |
22 |
|
(19) Down Quilts |
2 |
2 |
3 |
Will the Minister say in what way the bases upon which the figures were made up differ in the case of brush-making and furniture that prevent him giving the details asked for in these cases?
So far as brush-making is concerned, the figures for 1931 included concerns and persons employed in the making of brush stocks. These firms and persons were not included in the 1933 figures. In the case of wholesale clothing, waterproofs and women's light clothing were not included in the 1933 figures but were in the 1931 figures. Again, I want to say that it is undesirable that information should be given in advance of the official returns because discrepancies of the kind I have mentioned may give rise to misunderstanding, and it is only when the full information is available that reliable information can be given in any case.
I appreciate that there may be some difference in the case of wholesale clothing, but I did not ask that in my supplementary question. I asked about brush-making and furniture. Will the Minister say if he is able to tell us how many persons are employed in these particular cases? Would he not tell us how many firms are included in that particular return and then add anything that he wishes to say by way of explanation? Where is the difficulty about that, and what is the difference between it and the others?
The only difference is the absence of information which would enable the reliable figures to be given at this stage. There are items included in 1931 that were not included in 1933. I could not give the Deputy the items, but mattresses were one item not included in 1933.