Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/58

 6 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — UNITED KINGDOM

In August, 1911, by resolution of the House of Commons, provision was first made for the payment of a salary of 400Z. per year to members, other than those already in receipt of salaries as officers of the House, as Ministers, or as officers of His Majesty's household. Payment began as from April 1, 1911. This provision does not extend to the House of Lords.

Under the Representation of the People Act, 1918, the franchise was revised and extended, several million women and new male voters being enfranchised. Male electors must be of full age (twenty-one years), and have resided, or occupied business premises of an annual value of not less than ten pounds, in the same parliamentary borough or county, or one contiguous thereto, for six months ending on January 15 or July 15 (in Ireland the latter date alone applies). A woman voter must be thirty years of age, and entitled to be registered as a local government elector (or, as regards Scotland, deemed to be so registered) in respect of the occupation of premises of a yearly value of not less than five pounds, or of a dwelling house ; or she must be the wife of a husband entitled to be so registered : lodgers in unfurnished, but not furnished, rooms can vote, if otherwise qualified. There is also a University franchise, to be qualified for which a man must be twenty-one years of age, and a woman thirty years, and each must have taken a degree, or, in the case of a woman, have fulfilled the conditions which would entitle a man to a degree. In Scotland and Ireland other scholastic attainments are admitted as qualifications. Male per- sons who served in the war are entitled to be registered at the age of nineteen years, if otherwise qualified.

No person may vote at a general election for more than two constituencies, for one of which, in the case of a man, there must be a residence qualification, and, in the case of a woman, a local government qualification, her own oi- lier husband's. The second vote must rest on a different qualification.

Disqualified for registration are (among others) infants, peers, idiots and lunatics, aliens, bankrupts ; and, for five years after the war, conscientious objectors who have not fulfilled certain conditions as to the performance of war work or other work of national importance. Receipt of poor relit'}' or other alms no longer counts as a disqualification.

Two registers of electors must be prepared each year, one in the spring, and the other in the autumn, except in Ireland, where only one is required ; and the authorised expenses are met by local and State funds in equal parts. University registers may be made up as the governing bodies decide, and a registration fee not exceeding \l. may be charged.

In university constituencies returning two or more members the elections must be according to the principle of proportional representation, each elector having one transferable vote. At a general election all polls must be held on the same day, except in the case of Orkney and Shetland, and of university elections. Provision is made for absent electors to vote, in certain cases by proxy.

Under the same Act the seats in Great Britain were, redistributed on the basis of one member of the House of Commons for every 70,000 of the population. By a separate Act, redistribution in Ireland was made on the basis of one for every 43,000 of the population. The total membership of the Mouse of Commons was thereby raised from 670 (as established in 13S5) to 707.

The number of persons qualified for registration as parliamentary electors under the Representation of the People Act, 191S, waK in 1920 about 21, 770,000 (neatly one-half of the population). Women numbered 8,856,000. Trior to this Act the number qualified was about 8,350,000 (all males).

The following is a table of the duration of Parliaments called since the accession of Queen Victoria (for heads of the Administrations see p. 10.) —