The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-27 00:00:00

THE COMPOUND HOUSEHOLDER.

The Times insists that parliament must force the go-
vernment to maintain their first resolution, despite the
rebellion of Bumble, and abolish compounding in parlia-
mentary boroughs. This hybrid, the compound house-
bolder, who is neither a lodger nor a ratepayer, but some-
thing of both—who does pay rates, yet is denuded of the
rights of a regular ratepayer—who has, on the other hand,
in municipalities all the privilege* of a citizen, yet is de-
prived of the responsibility of citizenship—may be a won-
derful product of modern civilisation, but only as an evi-
dence of the curious infelicity of the legislation which has
created him. The ill-considered proviso which would
restore him to existence must be reconsidered. Every
reason concurs to urge his immediate removal. The pro-
gress of the Reform Bill, the conciliation of opponents, the
restoration of our parochial system to its first integrity,
the opportunity of completing their own original design,
mast impel the government to early out the determina-
tion announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer by
adjudging to the compound householder la snort salts
phrase.

Tbe Telegraph asks if there is not a third expedient.
Has not the time come when the government can give up
the ratepaying crotchet? Surely that device hoe bad its
day. It has been surrendered already in the case of the
lodger franchise, to which there is no ratepaying condition
annexed. The sacred, inviolate character of the principle
is gone, and it requires only a little more effort on the
part of the government, or a little more pressure on the
part of the house, to sweep it away altogether. This was
the only gag which the ministers nailed to their mast„
but they consented to tear off a great part of it when they
submitted to the lodger franchise,and the task of hauling
down the remnant of the tattered bunting is oomparatively
easy.

COMPOUND FloosanoLnrwo.—From a parliamen-
tary return, which was moved for by Mr. Gladstone, and
has been issued this morning, it appears that the number
of male occupiers in metropolitan boroughs at 101. and
upwards (gross estimated rental) whose rates are
'messed on the owner, or compounded for by him,
under local acts, is 77,749, of whom 16,082 are, and the
remaining 61,667 are not, on the register of voters. The
total number of such occupiers in boroughs not metropoli-
tan is 17,371, of whom 8,922 are, and the remaining 8,449
are not, on the register. Thus out of • total of 95,120
oocupiers,metropolitan and provincial,23,o44 are registered
voters and 70,116 are not on the list.

MEETING OT THE CONSERVATIVE COUNTY MEM-
BER/A—A circular letter has been sent to the conservative
county members by the Right Hon. Sir John Trollops,
Bart., M.P. for Lincolnshire, of which the subjoined is a
thelibertyp of thkine request of many county members I take
asg you to attend a meeting at Colonel
North's, 16, Arlington-street, on Monday (this) afternoon,
at three o'clock, p.m., to consider the position of the
county franchise, it having been notified that Sir Edward
does not move the reduction to 124. rating, there-
fDoererble question will depend upon Mr. Locke King's
motion to reduce it to 101., as oppoeed to the proposal
of the government of 15/."

REPRZSENTATION OP SOUTH SHIELDS.—IS is ru-
moured that a vacancy will shortly occur in the representa-
tion of South Shields, owing to the resignation of his seat
by Mr. Robert Ingham.
MR. DILLWYN, M.P., AND THE REFOR/4
In reply to a request from some of his constituent, to
attend a public meeting at Swansea, Mr. Dillwyn, H.P.,
writes to say that he cannot at present name • day when
he can attend, as he considers his paramount duty to be in
his place in parliament to watch the elegies@ of the Reform
RilL He adds, "I cannot but think that the result of
the course adopted by the House of Commons in respect
of the Reform Bill is likely to be such as will satisfy my
constituent' as to my own coarse of action in the matter."