THE IRISH VOTE IN LONDON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 241, 14 December 1877, Page 19

THE IRISH VOTE IN LONDON.

A correspondent of the Times writes as follows in a recent issue of that journal : — For some months past a committee of the Westminster Home Rule Union have been engaged, in co-operation with local committees of the various branches of the Home Rule Associations in the metropolitan boroughs, investigating the condition of the* Irish electoral registration. As the result of the investigation it was found that, notwithstanding the efforts of the Catholic Union, which, with its network of sub-committees throughout the whole metropolis, has been engaged in the work of electoral organisation for some years past, a very small percentage of householders and lodgers entitled to vote had been placed on the parliamentary registers. In consequence, an entirely new plan df organization was adopted. Each metropolitan trough was divided into sub-districts, and each of these sub-districts into smaller ones of about half-a-dozen streets each, with its central committee and sub-committee and registration canvassers. Meetings were first held ; then house-to-house visitations were gone through and the names published in each district of persons ready to give all requisite information on the subject. In Southwark it was ascertained that there are over 4000 Irish lodgers eligible for parliamentary franchise who were not on the register. In the Tower Hamlets, containing perhaps the most numerous population among the metropolitan boroughs, the proportion of unregistered voters was still larger ; some thousands of small Irish householders having been found to be off the register. Finsbury appeared to be wholly neglected, though it is computed that Irishmen entitled to vote form at least one-eighth of the constituency. In Marylebone about the same proportion, was found to exist, but a much smaller one in Westminster. Lambeth, with a very laTge Irish population, contains not more than about two thousand Irish registered voters, while in Greenwich the largest proportion "of Irish registered voters was found. This year there will be a large increase in the Irish claims at the Revision Courts, but the task of fully organizing the Irish vote was found to be so enormous, that persistent work, during the coming year, will be requisite to complete the design of the committee, and for this purpose central registration offices are to •be opened in each borough. It is calculated that in two years thirtyfive thousand Insh votes will be added to the metropolitan borough registers.