Population Statistics

THE debate in the House of Commons on November 29, on the second reading of the Population (Statistics) Bill, was interesting on account of the criticism which the Bill received from both sides of the House. The adverse criticisms were chiefly directed against the requirement of information of a not obviously necessary character, and also against the ambiguous nature of the terms of the schedule. The feeling was expressed by Mr. F. K. Griffith that the public should not be worried by "intimate, irritating, and irrelevant questions". There was no general opposition to the asking of information of a definitely useful character. The report of the debate should be read in conjunction with subsequent correspondence in The Times. Thus, Mr. A. P. Herbert, in the issue of December 4, mentions the contention of Prof. A. M. Carr-Saunders and Dr. C. P. Blacker that "three pieces of information were essential for the proper elucidation of the trend of the population—the age of the mother and the duration of the marriage at the birth of each child, and the order of birth of each child" ; and he remarks that "if this were all the Bill required the trouble would not have arisen".