LORD MONKSWELL, in moving the Second Reading of this Bill, said the Measure passed their Lordships' House last year, but was not equally fortunate in the other House. It was based on the principle that there might be too much of a good tiling. No doubt it was a good thing for the ratepayers of London to have occasionally an opportunity of recording their votes, but most people thought that at present there were too many opportunities of that kind given to the ratepayers. There were elections for 1566 the London County Council, the School Board, the Board of Guardians and the Vestry. The suggestion of the Bill was that the law with regard to Vestry elections should be assimilated to that now in force in respect of the election of Guardians. At present one-third of the vestrymen went out every year, and the consequence was that every year there was the election of a certain number of vestrymen. Guardians, however, had been empowered to petition the County Council to be allowed to have their elections triennially instead of annually, and every Board throughout the metropolis had availed themselves of the permission, and now Guardians were elected once in three years instead of annually. The Bill proposed that any Vestry might petition the London County Council that their elections should be held triennially, that the members should all go out together every three years instead of one-third of them annually. No doubt the London County Council would be perfectly ready to grant any request of that kind that might be made to them. He begged to move the Second Reading of the Bill.
LORD HARRISsaid the Bill was practically in the same form in which it left their Lordships' House last year, and the Local Government Board had no objection to its proceeding.
Bill read a Second time, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House To-morrow.