SPECIAL REGISTER BILL. (Hansard, 1 November 1916)

§ Mr. SPEAKER

There are several Instructions appearing on the Order Paper. The first, standing in the name of the hon. Member for North-East Bethnal Green-(Sir Edwin Cornwall), amends the Ballot Act and cannot be introduced into this Bill. The next Instruction, standing in the name of the hon. Member for West Newington (Mr. Gilbert), to the effect that the special register shall be based on a three months' qualification in place of all existing franchises, is an Amendment of the Representation of the People Act, 1751 an Amendment to the general franchise law, and goes beyond the scope of this measure. The Instruction in the name of the hon. Member for South Islington (Mr. Wiles), to provide for the special register being revised at intervals of six months, and continued in operation until replaced by a larger measure of electoral reform, can be carried out by means of an Amendment, and therefore does not required an Instruction. The next Motion, standing in the name of three hon. Members, the first being the hon. Member for the Harborough Division of Leicestershire (Mr. Percy A. Harris), stands on the same footing as that of the hon. Member for West Newington, because it is a general Amendment of the franchise law.

With regard to the Motion in the name of the hon. Member for the Haggerston Division (Mr. Chancellor), it should be divided into two parts. The first is that they have power to base the special register on one simple franchise of a three months' qualification. That is an amendment of the general franchise law, if it applies to others than those persons referred to in the Bill—if only to those in the Bill it is unnecessary. The last part, that the special register established shall be used for all elections, Parliamentary and municipal is, I think, already provided for in the Bill, but if it is not it can be provided for by Amendments. The next Instruction standing in the names of the hon. Member for Limehouse (Sir William Pearce) and the hon. Member for Bermondsey (Mr. Olanville), altering the hours of the polling and making the present Parliamentary polling hours apply to all municipal elections, is an amendment of the Ballot Act. The Motion in the name of the hon. Member for East Islington (Sir George Radford) is also an amendment of the franchise law, and deals with the Representation of the People Act. The same remark applies to the Instruction in the name of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Deptford (Mr. Bower-man). With regard to the Motion standing in the name of the hon. Member for the St. Augustine's Division (Mr. Ronald McNeill) and the hon. and gallant Member for the Melton Division (Colonel Yate), it would have a disfranchising effect, and, so far as it relates to conscientious objectors who are already qualified, it could not be entertained, 1752 but in so far as it does not give the relief given by this Bill to naval and military men, it is competent to the hon. Member in Committee to move an Amendment excluding conscientious objectors from the same advantages as are given to those who have served their country. With regard to the last Instruction standing in the name of the hon. and gallant Member for Christchurch (Colonel Croft) and other hon. and gallant Members, I have to say that while it is true that on the Second Reading of the Bill I indicated that it was possible that the matter might be raised by way of Instruction, my mind has been further enlightened by the Debate which took place on that occasion, and by a closer study of the Bill than I was able to give on that occasion, and I am of opinion that this Instruction, if accepted by the House, would so widen the scope of the Bill as to make it an amendment of the general franchise law; these matters must be dealt with by a second Bill, and cannot be dealt with in this way. I accordingly now leave the Chair.