§ Considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§ Clause 1:—
§ MR. McKENNA (Monmouth, N.)The object of the Amendment standing in my name is to extend the scope of the Bill. At present no person is eligible for the service franchise if the person under Whom he serves inhabits the qualifying premises, and in consequence shop assistants who reside in their
§ master's house are disqualified if the master also lives in the same house, but not if he lives away. Another anomaly of the present law is that by converting his business into a limited company the master enables his assistants to qualify, in spite of the fact that he inhabits the same premises. The proposed Amendment would cure this defect. It would also get rid of the uncertainty which now exists as to whether the sergeant or other officer of the police who lives in the police barracks is a person under whom the police serve in such a sense as to disqualify. This is a point which has not yet been decided by the courts, and it is quite conceivable that it might be decided in such a way as to practically lead to the disqualification of all the police. I beg to move the Amendment.
§
Amendment proposed—
In page 1, line 6, to leave out from the word 'employment,' to the word 'he,' in line 8."—(Mr. McKenna.)
§
Question proposed—
That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the clause.
§ SIR BLUNDELL MAPLE (Camberwell, East Dulwich)The hon. Gentleman does not seem to recognise that this Bill is to clear away certain difficulties which have arisen owing to the decision of the judges in regard to the service franchise. The hon. Member is perfectly right when he says that if a master lives in a particular house the men-servants are not entitled to vote. It is impossible to leave out the words mentioned in this Amendment unless you further extend the franchise, and therefore I am unable to accept it.
§ Question put.
§ The Committee divided:—Ayes, 40; noes, 58. (Division List, No. 175.)
541| AYES. | ||
| Anstruther, H. T. | Gedge, Sydney | Mount, William George |
| Arrol, Sir William | Goldsworthy, Major-General | Nicol, Donald Ninian |
| Barnes, Frederic Gorell | Gorst, Rt. Hon. Sir J. Eldon | Powell, Sir Francis Sharp |
| Bond, Edward | Hanson, Sir Reginald | Purvis, Robert |
| Bullard, Sir Harry | Helder, Augustus | Rothschild, Hon. Lionel W. |
| Cavendish, V. C. W. (Derbys.) | Kenyon, James | Russell, T. W. (Tyrone) |
| Douglas, Rt. Hon. A. Akers- | Lawrence, W. F. (Liverpool) | Stone, Sir Benjamin |
| Drage, Geoffrey | Lawson, John Grant (Yorks.) | Usborne, Thomas |
| Egerton, Hon. A. de Tatton | Lees, Sir Elliott (Birkenhead) | Welby, Lieut.-Col. A. C. E. |
| Fardell, Sir T. George | Lopes, Henry Yarde Buller | Whiteley, George (Stockport) |
| Finlay, Sir Robert Bannatyne | Lowther, Rt. Hon. J. (Kent) | Wilson, John (Falkirk) |
| Firbank, Joseph Thomas | Maclure, Sir John William | TELLERS FOR THE AYES— |
| FitzGerald, Sir R. Penrose | M'Killop, James | Sir Blundell Maple and Mr. |
| Fletcher, Sir Henry | Middlemore, J. Throgmorton | Harry Samuel. |
| Folkestone, Viscount | ||
| NOES. | ||
| Allan, William (Gateshead) | Harwood, George | Richardson, J. (Durham, S. E.) |
| Allen,W.(Newc.-under-Lyme) | Healy, Thomas J. (Wexford) | Rickett, J. Compton |
| Beaumont, Wentworth C. B. | Hedderwick, Thomas C. H. | Roberts, John H. (Denbighs.) |
| Billson, Alfred | Holland, W. H. (York, W. R.) | Robson, William Snowdon |
| Broadhurst, Henry | Jacoby, James Alfred | Samuel, J. (Stockton on Tees) |
| Brunner, Sir John Tomlinson | Jones, Wm. (Carnarvonshire) | Shaw, Thomas, (Hawick B.) |
| Burt, Thomas | Lawson,Sir Wilfrid(Cumb'l'd) | Smith, Samuel (Flint) |
| Caldwell, James | Leng, Sir John | Steadman William Charles |
| Cameron, Sir Charles (Glasg.) | Lyell, Sir Leonard | Stevenson, Francis S. |
| Colville, John | MacAleese, Daniel | Sullivan, Donal (Westmeath) |
| Davitt, Michael | M'Cartan, Michael | |
| Dilke, Kt Hon. Sir Charles | M'Ghee, Richard | Trevelyan, Charles Philips |
| Dillon, John | Maddison, Fred | Warner, Thomas Courtenay T. |
| Doogan, P. C. | Montagu, Sir S.(Whitechapel) | Williams,JohnCarvell(Notts.) |
| Duckworth, James | Morgan, J. Lloyd(Carmarthen) | Wilson, Henry J.(York,W. R.) |
| Ellis, John Edward | Morley, Charles (Breconshire) | Wilson, John (Durham, Mid.) |
| Farquharson, Dr. Robert | Morris, Samuel | young, Samuel (Cavan, East) |
| Fenwick, Charles | Norton, Capt. Cecil William | |
| Goddard, Daniel Ford | Nussey, Thomas Willans | TELLERS FOR THE NOES— |
| Gold, Charles | O'Brien, James F. X. (Cork) | Mr. M'Kenna and Mr. |
| Gurdon, Sir Wm. Brampton | O'Brien, Patrick (Kilkenny) | Lloyd-George. |
§ Clause, as amended, agreed to.
§ After the announcement of the figures,
§ MR. DUNCOMBE (Cumberland, Egremont)presented himself at the Table, and, addressing the Chairman, said: I was in the Aye Lobby, and the tellers left the door before I was counted.
§ MR. MCKENNAThere will be a, further opportunity of moving Amendments, and, as undoubtedly hon. Members opposite are not here in their natural strength, I do not propose to move any further Amendments of mine.
§ *SIR CHARLES DILKE (Gloucester. Forest of Dean)I propose to follow the same course. The Amendments which have been carried extend the Bill, and an alteration of its whole framework will be necessary.
Clauses 2 and 3 agreed to.
Bill reported; as amended, to be considered upon Wednesday next.