SOCIAL SURVEY

Grey River Argus, 3 August 1940, Page 7

SOCIAL SURVEY

BRITISH PUBLIC OPINIONS The Information Needed USEFUL WAR-TIME INFORMATION. (Received August 2, 5.5 p.m.) RUGBY, August 1. An interesting debate took place in the House of Commons to-night on the question of war-time social survey of Britain, that is being conducted by the investigators who are making a house-to-house visit, at the instance of the Ministry of Information.

The main criticisms were that such action was an invasion of privacy of the ordinary householder and house-wife. It was described by one speaker as “snooping and spying around the homes of citizens.” It was said that Members of Parliament themselves were quite competent to represent public opinion as revealed in their constituencies.

On the other hand, some member congratulated the Ministry of Information on adopting this new scientific method of a social survey jn order to discover the opinion of the British people, stating that it was not a novel idea, having been successfully used for many years by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Post Office.

Lady Astor said: Many ordinary housewives were leading very anxious lives at present, and the answering, m these questions gave them something to talk about. The Minister of Information, RtHon. Mr. Duff Cooper, said that ir wa s of the greatest valu e to the Government to know the state of minn and the condition of the people. For the past two and a-half months this system of obtaining information had been in active and had been only one complaint. Information that was of great value was being obtained by this method, which was working well, and it caused n& perturbation in the public mind.

Criticism of Survey

ONLY A PRESS STUNT.

ACCURATE INFORMATION

REQUIRED.

(Received August 2, 9.0 n.m.)

LONDON, August 2.

The Minister of Information. Rt. Hon. A. Duff Cooper, replied in the House qi Commons to the debate on the subject of the social survey. He pointed out that such information as to feeling as would be obtainable tlrough Members of the House of Cowmens was limited. The accuracy aJid modernity of such information was likewise limited, and the qualifcations of the Members of the Hous- of Commons to survey public feeliig were also limited. Tip Minister remarked: “The campaigi of criticism against this survey/is a Press stunt. If there are anysnoopers in the world, then they are these employed by the Press. Unhajpy would be the Government that ws relying solely on the Press for iriormation. This investigation begin in the middle of May. I do not bdieve that the survey is disturbing tje popular mind. I advise the Government to continue it.”

i The Centennial Exhibition tower, 'rhich has been a landmark for more . 'nan a year now, will shortly disappear. The contractors have made a Ttart on dismantling the structure, ■ find already a few feet of the upper (portion has been removed. The tower /'block of the Exhibition buildings has ibeen transformed into officers’ quarI tens for the large number of Air | Force personnel, who will henceforth / live at the new air station established j in the Exhibition property.