§ MR. ALEXANDER HASTIEsaid, he wished to inquire into the truth of a statement to the effect that the expense of registration in Scotland amounted to between £1 and £2 per head?
VISCOUNT DUNCANsaid, he begged to thank his hon. Friend for giving him the opportunity of stating to the House that the statements which had been made were totally inaccurate. He had taken means to ascertain the facts, and he found that the total cost of Registration Books in Scotland amounted in the first year to £3,000, and subsequently it averaged about £2,000 a year. As compared with 1855, a great alteration had in 1856 been made in the entries, and a, very great number of those required in the former year were now omitted. The total cost for carrying into operation the Registration Act in Scotland was £18,000, and that included £3,000 for postage, which would be paid over by another department. The average per head for registration was, instead of being from £1 to £2, about two shillings upon the whole number. Upon inquiry, it would be found that the provisions of the Act had been most faithfully and economically carried into operation.