§ SIR HENRY JAMES (Bury, Lancashire)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if he can state from any Returns, or from an approximate estimate, the number of electors who will be added to the constituencies if the payment of rates as a condition precedent to being placed on the register be abolished?
§ MR. H. H. FOWLERI find that, according to the last Census the total number of inhabited houses in England and Wales was, in round figures, 5,500,000. The number of occupation voters on the Register for 1892 may be roughly estimated at 4,130,000, being 1,370,000 less than the number of inhabited houses. From this 1,370,000 must be deducted the houses occupied by women, and, according to a Return in 1890, the number of women entitled to vote for County Councils and for Town Councils in county boroughs was between 600,000 and 700,000. This deduction leaves the number of houses in access of the number of occupation voters by between 700,000 and 800,000. As, however, there may be occupations of parts of a house conferring the right to the franchise, and the occupation voters include voters in respect of lands without dwelling houses, there must be some deduction from the total number of occupation voters when that number is compared with the number of inhabited houses. The figures which I have given show that, assuming that all who would be entitled to be registered were duly registered, there would not be less than from 700,000 to 800,000 additional voters placed on the register, in respect of occupation of dwelling houses, were it not for the conditions of the franchise as to the period of residence and rating and payment of rates, and the omissions to claim, and the large numbers who are disqualified through removals. We have no means of estimating the number who are disqualified by reason of non-payment of rates, but I should not expect to find that it was very considerable. I may, however, say by way of illustration that since my right hon. Friend's question appeared on the Paper I have received a communication from an officer of one of the largest parishes in England, containing upwards of 40,000 ratepayers, and he estimates that the additional number of electors who will be added to the register in consequence of the abolition of the rate-paving clauses will be exceedingly small.
MR. POWELL WILLIAMSHas there been any deduction made from the number of inhabited houses in consequence of "voids?"
§ MR. H. H. FOWLERThat is another element to be taken into consideration. I have taken the actual 515 number of houses according to the Census.
§ MR. BARTLEYIs it not true that in London specially there are large numbers of houses which contain four or five voters, and would that not largely increase the total?
§ MR. H. H. FOWLERI believe that it is so in London, but the system does not prevail to any large extent outside the Metropolis.