THE REFORM BILL.
Lord J. RUSSELL (amid some loud cries of ‟Hear, hear,” from the Ministerial benches) then rose to ask leave to bring in a bill to amend the representation of the people of England and Wales.
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Lord R. CECIL asked whether the bill would contain any provision for increasing the number of polling places.
Sir G. GREY said the bill contained no such provision. The hon. member for Petersfield (Sir W. Jolliffe) did not appear quite to understand the condition to be attached to the £10 county franchise in cases where the qualification consisted of lands and buildings jointly. The bill proposed that the qualification in counties should be of the same character as the present borough qualification, and should consist of houses or buildings held either separately or jointly with land. If the building were a dwelling-house, no question of its value would be raised; but in other cases it would be required that the building should be of the clear annual value of £5. This provision was intended to prevent the creation of fictitious votes by running up a few boards so as to satisfy the terms but evade the spirit of the Act. Of course in the case of a dwelling-house there would be no need of any such provision.
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