HL Deb 21 July 1884 vol 290 cc1709-10

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY,

in moving that the House go into Committee, said, he was asked, on the second reading of the Bill, whether the Government were willing to extend the provisions to counties? Personally, he was decidedly in favour of such an extension; but looking at all the circumstances under which the Bill came up to their Lordships, and the fact that the matter was very fully considered in the House of Commons, he had to state that he could not undertake to accept an Amendment including the counties in the Bill.

Moved, "That the House do now resolve itself into Committee on the said Bill."—(The Earl of Kimberley.)

Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly.

Clause 1 (Hours of polling in boroughs with more than three thousand electors.)

THE EARL OF POWIS

moved, in subsection 3, to extend the Bill to boroughs which were not Parliamentary, but which were Municipal, and had large populations of over 10,000; for instance, boroughs like Accrington, Barnsley, St. Helens, and Crewe, and some 21 in all. He did not see why the hours of polling should not be extended to them. He asked the noble Earl to make the Bill apply to them; and it could easily be done by striking out the words which limited the Bill to Parliamentary boroughs.

Amendment moved, in page 1, lines 19 and 20, leave out ("of a parliamentary borough.")—(The Earl of Powis.)

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY

said, that, as far as he was personally concerned, he would not have been adverse to a much larger application of this Bill than it had been found convenient to make; but after having expressed himself as unable to accept its extension to the counties, he could not accept the Amendment now proposed.

THE EARL OF POWIS

observed, that the question of extending the Bill to municipal purposes did not raise any of the controversial questions which were connected with elections in counties, municipal elections were held in a Town Hall, or some other building where the polling could be carried on in one place. He would ask the noble Earl to consider, before the third reading of the Bill, whether there was any valid objection to including the 21 towns to which he had proposed that it should apply.

THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWN

said, that if the Government adopted this extension, he would move to extend the Bill to counties.

Amendment negatived.

Bill reported, without Amendment; and to be read 3a To-morrow.