Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/348

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THE BRITISH EMPIRE : — UNITED KINGDOM

Commons, was made by the Reform Bill of 1867-68. By this Act England and Wales were allotted 493 members and Scotland 60, while the number for Ireland remained unaltered, and house- hold suffrage was conferred on boroughs in England and Scotland. A still greater reform was effected by the Repre- sentation of the People Act 1884, and the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885. The former introduced a ' service franchise,' extend- ing to householders and lodgers in counties the suffrages which in 1867 had been conferred upon householders and lodgers in boroughs, and placed the three Kingdoms on a footing of equality as regards electoral qualifications ; while the latter made a new division of the United Kingdom into county and borough con- stituencies, and raised the total number of members to 670, England receiving 6 new members, and Scotland 12. The number of members and of registered electors for England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland respectively, in 1898 was as follows : —

— Counties. Boroughs. Universities. Total. Members Electors Menibei-s Electors Members Electors Members Electors 1 England. Scotland. Ireland. 253 39 85 2,905,968 363,954 603,494 237 2,221,132 31 281,464 16 112,284 5 2 2 17,122 18,677 4,534 495 72 103 5,144,222 664,095 720,312 377 !8,873,416 284 2,614,880 9 40,833 670 6,528,629

Thus about one-sixth of the population are electors. The number of those voting as ' Illiterates,' and the total votes recorded in 18.95, were as follows : —

— England Scotland Ireland United Kingdom Illiterates. Total votes polled being 28,521 3,190,826 4,062 447,591 40,357 220,506 72,940 3,858,923

All elections for members of Parliament must be by secret vote by ballot, an Act being passed annually to this effect. No one under twenty-one years of age can be a member of Parliament. All clergymen of the Churcli of England, ministers of the Church of Scotland, and Roman Catholic clergymen are disqualified from sitting as members ; all Government contractors, and all sheriffs and returning officers for the localities for which they act, are disqualified both from voting and from sitting as members. No English or Scotti.sh peer can be elected to the House of Commons, but uon-iepr(?seutHtive Irish peers are eligible,