No progress was made with the Representation of the People Bill when it recently came before the Standing Committee of the House of Commons. One of its objects is to lower the age at which women may be registered as Parliamentary. electors, and the question was raised whether the Committee could completely deal with a matter involving additional expense in the compilation of the register without an authorizing financial resolution from the House.
At the outset the Committee had before them an amendment by Sir F. Banbury (Ca. U, City of London) to the effect that women should obtain the Parliamentary, vote at 25 instead of at 20 as at present.
(Ca. U, Finsbury) raised on a point of order the question when ther the Committee could consider this subject. It was admitted, he said, that the inclusion of fresh categories of voters on the registers would involve fresh public expenditure in the preparation of those registers. The rules of the House were emphatic that before a Committee could deal with a Bill. involving fresh expenditure even as a eubsidiary result, financial resolution authorizing i must be passed by the House. In this case no financial resolution had been passed, and the Committee had no right to proceed with the Bill in its absence.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.