In the House of Commons on Monday the Government allowed
a free vote on the scale of expenditure which is to be allowed under the new Franchise Bill. A change is obviously necessary, as the present scale is fixed at so much a- head of the electorate-7d. in the counties and 5d. in the towns. The increase in the electorate, if the rule were not altered, would consequently mean a con- siderably increased expenditure. The House decided to reduce the legal expenditure in the counties to 6d. a head, but to leave untouched the 5d. in the towns. The Labour Party is displeased, as its main strength is in the towns, and it considers that the electorate can be more cheaply informed of a candidate's opinions. We suspect, however, that there is room for reducing the working costs without injuring a cause. Expensiveness seldom means efficiency. Unfortunately, the legal maximum, in this case as in many others, tends to become a minimum whenever the necessary funds can be raised.
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