Commercial Department. C

This contains two groups of files of the Commercial Department; a group of 19th century files and some for four years in the early 20th century.

The 19th century files deal with labour statistics, including some colonial and foreign statistics, creation of labour bureaux, and requests for information from abroad. There is also correspondence with the Foreign Office on reports of labour conditions abroad in 1893, and with the Home Office on mining statistics in 1894. Also in 1892-3 there is correspondence on printing information about co-operative societies in the Labour Gazette, and information on a French bill dealing with co-operative production and supply associations and profit sharing. Later files on these subjects are in the CL&S/L series, LAB 7/17-21.

The files for the period 1908-1911 are mainly accounts of disputes, records of agreements, and arbitration awards arranged alphabetically under the name of the arbitrator and the parties to the disputes. There are also some files dealing with trade boards, requests for the Labour Gazette, and arrangements for a French Labour Delegation to visit English and Scottish towns in 1908.

Earlier arbitration awards are in series CL&S/L, LAB 7/17-21:

The Commercial Department of the Board of Trade was renamed the Commercial, Labour, and Statistical Department in 1893 when a Labour branch was formed. For its history see LAB 7/17-21.