The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-07 00:00:00

THE GOVERNMENT REFORM BILL.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer last night gave
notice of his intention to move the following amendments :
IN COMMITTEE OY MEYMEMENTAtION Or Mg PEOPLE DILL.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer,—Page 11, Clause 34,
line 29, leave out all after " rated," and insert " to the
poor rate in respect of any premises, instead of the occu-
pier, the following enactments shall be made for the pur-
pose of giving facilities to any occupier desirous of
aoquiring the franchise under this act, or the act of the
second year of King Wm. IV., chap. 45, in respect of such
premises :
(1.) The full rateable value of every house or other sepa-
rate holding and the full rata in the pound, and the name
of the occupier, shall be entered in the rate-book.
_

(2.) The occupier may at any time claim to be rated to
the poor rate instead of the owner, and in order to enable
him to be so rated, forms of claim shall be obtainable, free
of charge, at every post-office within the borough at which
money orders are homed.
(34 The form of claim shall have printed thereon the
address of the overseers, and when signed by the claimant
shall be transmitted free by the post to overseers.
(4.) On the receipt of any such claim the overseers shall
return an answer by post etating the amount of rate, if
any, due in respect of the premises.
O.) The overseers, on the receipt of the claim and on
the payment of the rate, if any then due, shall record the
claim in the rate-book„, and thereupon the occupier shall
be liable to be rated and pay rites in respect of such pre-
mises and the overseers shall give notice to the owner
that the occupier has so claimed as aforesaid, and thence-
forth and until the termination of the tenancy of the oc-
cupier the owner shall be discharged from hie liability to
be rated or pay any rates in respect of such premises.
(6.) Where the occupier of any premises that have been
let to him free from rate liu claimed to be rated and to
pay the rates, for the purpose of acquiring the franchise
under this act, he may deduct from any rent due or ac-
cruing from him in respect of the said premises any amount
paid by him on account of rates.
All expenses incurred by the overseers under this, sec-
tion shall he deemed to be expenses incurred in the regis-
tration of voters, and shall be allowed accordingly."
To move the following clause (repeal of 14th and 15th
Viet., c. 14, a. 31:—There shall be repealed the third
section of the act of the session of the 14th and 15th years
of the reign of her present Majesty, chapter 14, intituled
" An Act to amend the Lew foe Use Registration of cer-
tain persons couununly known am Compound House-
holders, and to facilitate the exercise by such per-
sons of their right to vote in the election of borough
members to serve in parliament ;" but this repeal shall
not apply to the case of any person registered as a voter at
the time of the posting of the act so long SO he retain the
qualification in respect of which he is so registered, and as
to such person and eo long as aforesaid the said section
shall remain in full force.

Soeirrr or Esonizims.—At the meeting of this
society yesterday, Mr. W. H. Le Feuvre, president, in the
chair, the following gentlemen were balloted for and duly
elected members :—Mesare. Benjamin Samuel Fisher, Ed.
ward Buckhsm, Benjamin Cooke, Henry Shield, John
Brough Palmer, Frederick Charles Danvers, Thomas
Greenhill, and John Watson, F.O.S. Aarxiatea—Mere.
Charles Mathew Barker, Richard Gunning, William San.
disco, Ihniglas Heath Aahbee, and F. Ireland Rumble.