FLAPPERS' VOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 10566, 20 April 1928, Page 5

FLAPPERS' VOTES.

FRANCHISE A'J' TWENTY-ONE . ' - YEARS ' • *• DEBATE ' ■ MOVE. TOi RAISE AGE TO 25 FAILS United Press Assn, by El. Tel. Copyright - (British Official .-Wireless.) • - RUGBY, April 18. ' ■ Tins House of Commons to-day be” gnn the committee stage of the Bill, giving votes to Women at the age of 21; on the same terms as men: A feature of the debate was the attempt made by some Conservative members to make 25 the voting age. Sir' Alexander Sprott (Con.) moyed an amendment to define the electoral age for both men and women as 25, except in eases of voters already on tlie register. - , , ) , Miss Margaret Bond field (Lah.) in opposing the amendment, ridiculed the idea that the young people of the working class, many of whom between' the ages of. 14 arid 21 had suffered tlie hardships of unemployment and poverty, had had no experience of life. Lord Hugh Cecil, who was among the Conservatives supporting the amendment, said the plain , trutfi ought to be recognised that people over 25 were in respect to political judgment more mature than people under 25. Sir Wm. Joynson-Hicks characterised the amendment' as a proposal to enfranchise 2,500,000 women at the ago of 25, .arid to disfranchise 2,500,000 men between the ages of 21 and 25. He regarded it as putting back the political clock. The amendment w'as rejected by 359 votes to 16. ADDITIONAL VOTES FOR PROPERTY HOLDERS United Press Assn, by El. Tel. Copyriirln Australian Press Assn.—United Service (Received April 19, 7.5 p.m.) LONDON, April 18. While the Bill was in committee Miss Bonfield (Labor), moved to delete the provision to give a woman an additional vote for her own nr her husband’s property.. Sir John Simon (Lib.) said there was not justification for the elause except a deliberate attempt to increase the number of plural voters. Mr Pethrick Lawrence (Lab.) said the women’s suffrage societies did not w'ant tho clause. Sir Y. Henderson (G.) opposing the amendment, contended that ft would defranchise 120,000 existing women voters. The Bill in every particular 'insisted that franchise rights to a woman of twenty-one should bo on an equality with those of men. Mr J. H. Hudson (Lab.) said if employers had votes for their businesses, as well as for their homes, w'orkers. ought to have votes for constituencies in which they worked, as wel 'as for those in which they lived. Tne amendment wan defeated by 208 to 138. ELECTION EXP EN SES The Hon. Arthur Henderson, on behalf of Labor, moved a new clause reducing the maximum scale of election expenses from sevenpence per voter to sixpence in country' constituencies % and from flvep.ence to fourpense 'in boroughs, on the ground of the increase iu the electorates, otherwise a candidate’s expenditure would be increased between £2OO and £3OO in every constituency. Sir Joynson Hicks said in view of the diversity of opinion ho wished to consult the? Prime Minister. The House adjourned, on the understanding that it would receive the considered views of the Government on Monday.