Page:Outlines of the women's franchise movement in New Zealand.djvu/107

 In the meantime, fearing that Womanhood Suffrage was being jeopardised by being included in the Electoral Bill, which bristled with points on which the two Houses might hold divergent views, Sir John Hall prepared and introduced a separate Woman Suffrage Bill.

On August 9th Sir John Hall moved the second reading of his Bill. An acrimonious debate followed, but the opponents of the franchise, realising the hopelessness of their efforts, abandoned the contest, and the second reading was carried by a practically unanimous vote. Two days after, the third reading of the Electoral Bill was debated.

The franchise question excited the keenest interest, and evinced