§ 32. Mr. Sorensenasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the total electorate for the last election in British 375 Guiana; how many of those were men and women respectively; what percentage were illiterate; what is the number of local government electors; and what is the comparable percentage of those who voted in the legislative and in local government elections.
§ Mr. LytteltonThe total electorate was 208,939 of whom 49 per cent. approximately were men, and 20 per cent. approximately were illiterate. The total electorate of the 43 villages in the Colony is 12,138. In recent elections, in 30 of them, 50 per cent. voted, as compared with 73 per cent. in the last elections for the House of Assembly. These figures do not include the municipal electorate of Georgetown and New Amsterdam, which totalled 5,555.
§ Mr. SorensenMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether this question of the electorate will be included as one of the questions to be discussed by the Commission going to British Guiana?
§ Mr. LytteltonI certainly think the matter of the franchise will be discussed, and consequently no doubt the election will be one of the subjects into which they will have to inquire.