§ 83. Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the President of the Local Government Board whether, seeing that the absent voters'list is compiled exclusively for Parliamentary election purposes, he will consider the possibility of the Treasury bearing the whole cost of preparing and printing it; and in view of the heavy expenditure, will he further consider whether these lists and registers might be prepared annually?
§ Major ASTORUnder the Representation of the People Act, 1918, the cost of preparing and printing the absent voters'list is defrayed by the registration officer as registration expenses, and the Treasury are required to contribute one-half of these expenses, the remainder being a charge on the rates. It will be remembered that under the previous, system the whole cost, except half the cost of revising barristers, was borne locally. An amendment of the law would, therefore, be necessary to enable the Treasury tocontribute the whole of the cost of the 2241 absent voters' list. I will communicate with them on the subject. I may observe that the bulk of the absent voters were naval or military voters, and that on demobilisation of men in the forces, the cost of preparing and printing the absent voters' list will be very materially decreased. As to the latter part of the question, I think it will be wiser to wait until experience has been gained of the system of half-yearly registers under normal conditions before proposing legislation to alter the Act in that matter.