ONE MAN, ONE VOTE.

West Coast Times, 19 June 1912, Page 3

ONE MAN, ONE VOTE.

FRANCHISE BILL INTRODUCED. ' FRESH ASSOCIATION.—COPyHTGHT.]) LONDON*, Juno 17. _ The Franchise Bill which has been intiodueed into the House of Commons confers a one man one vote, simplifies icgistration, and extinguishes University representation.

The Government intend following the Franchise Bill with a Redistribution Bill.

PROVISIONS OP THE BILL LONDON, June 18. In the House of Commons the Franchise Bill was read a first time. The Hon. A. J. Pease stated that the Bill provided for a qualification ef six months continuous residence for ell over twenty-one. The removal from one electorate to another would not interfere with the right to vote, but if the voter allows his name to appear on two registers he would be fined £2!)9 or two years’ imprisonment. The abolition of plural voting would reduce the number on the register by 525,000 The abolition of the University representation by another 49,614, but 2, ■ 500,000 would.be added owing to tli* continuous register. If the' franchise wore extended to women on the same terms it would add another 10,500,000 voters.

Mr. Pease admitted that the case for redistribution was unanswerable. The Unionist papers approve of a simpler franchise, but demand that it be accompanied by redistribution, which is a greater anomaly. The Times states that the Government intends to proceed with the Bill sufficiently to allow a women’s suffrage amendment to he moved in eemmittoe.