| Description | From its earliest days the Economic Intelligence Department (or its antecedents) provided information about Industry - output, labour, fixed investment, stocks, wholesale and retail prices, company finance etc. The Department also collected statistics: the main series compiled during the 1930s were for retail trade, and for the wholesale textile trade. From the 1940s the industrial side of the Department formed part of the Home Finance Group; later it became a separate Industry Group, and later still an Industrial Finance Unit. Examples of the work done for the public are in EID9/1 and 9/2 (these files also extend beyond industrial questions). From the 1950s the industrial side prepared a monthly report on Industry (EID9/3 to 9/15). This went to a Governor's 'Home Finance Meeting' (which also took Exchequer and Banking Statistics - EID4) and also to Committee of Treasury and Court. The industrial side was also the main point of contact on Industrial matters between Head Office and the Branches, and provided briefs for Directors' industrial visits to the Branches where they met representatives of local industry to hear how the economy was perceived in their area of business and to explain the Bank's position. |