Weekly journal-miner., 1912-07-24
PROPOSE A NEW REGISTRATION
 IN ENGLAND

LONDON. Eng, July lo.-Jonn A. Pease, minister of education, long chief Liberal whip and there fore an expert on registration, was put up by the government to intro duce the promised Reform and Regis tration bill, the effect of which would, among other things, be to abolish plural voting and increase the number of voters in the United
 Kingdom by some 2,500,0OO.
 IL is on this bill that the govern ment has promised to give facilities for the introduction of an amend ment to grant the suffrage to women on the same terms as to men. This amendment. however, will not be a government one. and members arc to be left to vote as they like on it. As the present House of Commons has already declared itself against votes for women, the amendment has little chance of passing. In fact. the bill itself has very little chance of reaching the statute book. with Home Rule and Welsh Dis establishment ahead of it and hard ly time enough to discuss those two great measures.
 The bill has been introduced in keeping with three promises made by the prime minister. The first was to his own supporters 10 do away with plural voting, which it is generally admitted handicaps Lib eral candidates in the constituencies. most of the landholders who have these plural votes casting them against the Liberals. This prom ise can be kept without the passage of the present bill, as another bill with the same purpose has been introduced by private member and has already passed its second read ing. By adopting this bill as their own, the government can redeem the first of Premier Asquith's promises.
 The second promise was, if there was time, to remove the difficulties which the present law places in the way of registration. This can also be carried out in the private bill.
 The next promise was to the suf- fragists. to give facilities for the introduction of an amendment giv- ing votes to women. This will be carried out: but as it will be op- posed by leaders on both sides of house. il is not likely to get further than an introduction. This would finally dispose of the matter in the present parliament. Then the re- form bill will be laid aside, unless, of course. something unforeseen hap pens, and the Liberals will get rid of plural voting by private bill, and in the same way secure the passage of any of their franchise proposals that they consider vital
 The bill introduced by Mir. Pease Is Of far-reaching effect. By it the value of property as an element of qualification would cease and every man of 2l years of age, with six months residence or occupation in a constituency, could have his name placed on the register without all the red tape which makes the Eng lish system the most cumbrous in the world. For example. under the present system, if a man removed rom one house 10 another in the same street, he automatically lost his vote and could not get on the list again until new one was being prepared. which might mean year. Under the bill just introduced the hsts always remain open, and a voter has six months in which to notify the officials of his change of address. There are many otbe, anomalies that would be removed.
 These changes meet with the ap- proval of all, but there are other clauses in the bill, besides the abol. | ton of plural voting. which the conservatives bitterly oppose. The abolition Of University representa- | non' which would reduce the voting power of their party in the House O. Commons by nine, is objected ,o on The ground that the Uniyers;,v constituencies are the only ones where an education qualification ;s required This reduction of inc | membership ofthe House of Com. mons. with the 6l taken away bv me Home Rule bill, would make tbe | exactly 600. With Home | ku'e Tor Scotland and Wales. which | Liberals now look forward to. ,bc | house would become a still smaller l |