THE NEW REFORM BILL.

The bill placed on the table of the House of Commons on Monday bears the names of Mr. Disraeli, Lord Stanley, and General Peel. It is entitled, "A Bill to Amend the Laws relating to the Representation of the People in England and Wales, and to Facilitate the Registration and Voting of Elec- tors." The preamble is very brief and simply states the expediency of amending the laws referred to in the title. Then follow the clauses.

"1. Every male person of full age, and not subject to any legal incapacity, who shall have any one of the several qualifications hereinafter specified, shall be en- titled to be regisied as a voter, and to vote in the election of a member or members for the county, or if within the limits of a borough, then in the election of a mem- ber or members for the borough where, in the case of qualifications arising out of lands or tenements, such lands or tenements shall be situate, and where in all other cases such persons shall reside.

" Thequalifications above referred to are as follow-

" I. Who shall be beneficially entitled, as owner or as mortgagee in possession, at law or in equity, to an estate of inheritance in lands or tenements of freehold tenure, of the clear yearly value over and above all charges and encumbrances af- fecting the same, of not less than 40s.

" 2. Or shall be so beneficially entitled to an estate of inheritance intends or tene- ments of eopyhold, or any other tenure whatever, except freehold, of such clear yearly value, as aforesaid, of not less than SI.

"3. Or shall be so beneficially entitled to an estate for any life or lives in lands or tenements, of any tenure, of such clear yearly value, as aforesaid, of not lees than W.

•• 4. Or shall be so beneficially entitled to a term originally granted for not less than thirty years in lands or tenements, of any tenure, of such yearly value, as afore- said, of not less than 51.

"5. Or shall occupy as tenant any such lands or tenements of the clear yearly value of not less than 10/.

" 6. Or shall occupy any apartments in, or portion of a house, whether furnish- ed or unfurnished, for which he shall have paid a rent of not less than 8a. per week, or per annum, to an amount of 201.

' 7. Or shall be in the beneficial enjoyment of a yearly income arising from the personal property following, that is to say :—From any annuity granted by the Com- missioners for Reduction of the National Debt, or any dividends or interest from the Parliamentary stocks or funds of the United Kingdom, or from the stocks, shares, or bonds, of the East India Company or of the Bank of England, standing in his own name, of not less amount per annum than 101.

" 8. Or shall be in the beneficial enjoyment of an income arising from any pension, pay, or superannuation allowance, in respect of any past employment by such per- son in any department of her Majesty's naval, military, East Indian, or civil service, and who shall no longer be permanently employed therein, amounting to not less per annum than 201. " 9. Or shall hold, and shall be beneficially entitled to a deposit in some savings bank, established in England or Wales, under the provisions of the Act of the ninth year of his late Majesty King George IV., chap. 92, to the amount of 60/. 10. Or shall possess one or other of the qualifications following, that is to say- " Who shall be a graduate of any University of the United Kingdom ; " Or an ordainedpriest or deacon of the Church of England ;

" Or a minister of any other religious denomination appointed either alone or with not more than one colleague, to the charge of any chapel or place of worship, and officiating as the minister thereof ;

" Or a barrister-at-law, or sergeant-at-law, in any of the Inns of Court in Eng- land, or a certificated pleader or conveyancer ; " Or a certificated attorney, or solicitor, or proctor in England and Wales ; "Or a member of the medical profession, registered under the provisions of the Medical Act, 1858; " Or a schoolmaster holding a certificate from the Committee of her Majesty's Council on Education.

" Or who shall be entitled to be registered for any county, city, or borough, in respect of any estate for life in freehold lands or tenements, of which he shall be seised at the time of passing of this Act, or in respect of any qualification, as free- holder, bargage tenant, burgess, freeman, livery man, or otherwise, reserved or defined in the 31st, 32d, 99d, 37th, and 35th sections of the Act of the second year of the reign of his late Majesty King William IV., cap. 45." Clause H requires a six months' possession of any estate qua- lification ; • twelve months' occupation of any residence ; and the actual standing of savings bank deposits in the name of the voter for twelve months previous to registration. Clause III requires the payment of rates before the 25th December preceding, and extends it to 101. occupiers in counties. Clause IV empowers persons to claim to be rated. Clause V provides that different tenements owned or occupied in succession for six and twelve months, respectively, shall be a qualification. Clause VI. enfranchises joint owners where the clear yearly value divided among them gives each the required qualification. Clause Vii . repeals the enact- ments requiring the payment of assessed taxes as a condition precedent to registration. Clause VIII. directs persons to claim to be placid on the re- gister on or before the 24th July in each year. By clause IX. and X. the Bank of England, the Commissioners of National Debt, and the East X., Company, are bound to give certificates of income from personal property in their hands at the request of fundholders. The certificate is to be given to the overseer together with claim, and the overseer is to ascertain yearly if claimants continue qualified. Forms are provided in which claims on ac- count of pension or personal qualifications may be made. Persons employed in Government arsenals, dockyards, or factories may not vote. Clauses Al. XII., XIII., and XIV., provide the machinery for using voting papers, and declare personation to be a misdemeanour. Clause XV. excludes dockyard servants from the franchise.

Clauses XVI. to XXXVI are taken up with provisions respecting the manner of preparing the lists of voters ; and provides for a •'Qualification Register," a " Voting Register," and "a List of Out-Voters or non-Resi- debts." Clause XXXVII. is important, as it transfers a large number of freeholders from county to town constituencies. It is as follows- " Every voter inserted m such voting register as residing within the county or borough, shall vote at the polling place appointed for the parish in which he shall he registered as residing, and not elsewhere; and every voter inserted in such voting register as an out-voter or non-resident, may vote at any polling place for such county or borough, provided that every such out-voter upon tendering his vote at any election shall be asked by the returning officer, or his deputy, whether he has voted before in person or by voting paper at such election ; and any person, making an untrue answer to such question, or who shall, without being asked such ques- tion, vote a second time at such election, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and on being convicted thereof, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years together with hard labour.

Clauses XXVVIII., IX. and XL. provide fbr increased polling places. Clause XLI. says-

" The 79th section of the said Act, passed in the 6th year of her Majesty, is hereby repealed, and, instead thereof, be it enacted that at any future election of a member or members to serve in Parliament for any county or borough the register of voters so made as aforesaid shall be deemed and taken to be conclusive evidence that the persons therein named continue to have the qualifications which are an- nexed to their names respectively in the register in force at such election."

Clauses XLII relates to voting papers-

" And whereas it is expedient to afford greater facilities for voting to persons who, at the time of holding any election, shall be absent from or living beyond the limits of the county or borough in respect of which they are registered, or who shall de- sire to be relieved from attending in person to vote at such election, be it enacted that any voter may, after the issuing of the writ for holding such election, apply in writing, either by himself or by some person on his behalf, to the returning officer for a voting paper, and in such application shall be stated the number attached to his name in the register, the particulars of his qualification as therein described, according to the form No. 1. in the schedule D to this Act, or to the like effect, and the returning officer shall forthwith, upon the receipt of such request, fill up and transmit to the voter, by a prepaid registered letter through the post, directed to him at the address indicated in the request, a voting paper, in the form and accord- ing to the directions given in the forms numbered 2 and 3 to the schedule D to this Actannexed."

Subsequent clauses surround this privilege with safeguards, and extend it to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. By clause LII. thepayment of travelling expenses of voters is declared illegal: it is worded as follows-

" It shall not be lawful for any candidate at any election to pay any money on ac- count of the conveyance of any voter to the poll, either to the voter himself or to any other person ; and if any such candidate, or any person on his behalf, and with his authority, shall pay any money on account of the conveyance of any voter to the poll, such payment shall be deemed to be an illegal payment within the meaning of the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act, 1854.'"

The remaining clauses provide for a variety of matters. Three refer to the changes in the representation as set forth in the schedules. One pro- vides for returning officers in the new Parliamentary boroughs. Another sets forth that the Enclosure Commission shall forthwith appoint special commissioners to visit every borough, and inspect the boundaries and the location of the inhabitants, and before the 1st of January next report to the Home Secretary whether any and what enlargement of the boundaries is necessary, for the purpose of including within the area of boroughs the population really belonging to them, with a view to the introduction of a boundary bill next session. Provision is made for the formation of registers of voters under the act.

Clause LX. provides that-

" If by reason of a dissolution of the Present Parliament, or by any avoidance of a seat therein which may take effect after the passing of this Act, and before the day at and from which the registers of voters to be framed under the provisions of this Act shall be in force, in such case such persons only shall be entitled to vote at any election for any county or borough now returning members to serve in Par- liament as are upon the registers in force for such county or borough at the time of such dissolution or avoidance.

By clause LXVIII. any Member of Parliament holding office is relieved from the necessity of resigning his seat if he accepts another office. This is an alteration of the Act of Anne, Chap. 7.

The act is not to extend to Scotland or Ireland, or the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge except in regard to voting papers.

SCHEDULE G.

BOROVOHS NOW RETURNING TWO BERBERS 'WHICH ASE DI FUTURE TO RETURN ONE

100111ER EACH.

H011it011, Thetford, Totems, Harwich, Evesham, Wells, Richmond, Marlborough, Leominster, Lymington, Ludlow, Andover, Knaresborough, Tewkesbury, Maldon. SCHEDULE I.

PLACES TO RE BOROUGHS TO RETURN ONE MEMBER EACH, wrru corms-re OF THEM BOUNDARIES.

West Bromwich, Staffordshire—The parishes of West Bromwich and Wednesbury. Birkenhead, Cheshire—The township or chapelry of Birkenhead ; townships of Claughton-cum-Grange, Caton-, and Tranmere. Burnley, Lancashire—The townships of Burnley and Habergham Eaves.

Stalybridge, Cheshire, and Lancashire—the town of Stalybridge, as the limits thereof are declared by an Act passed in the ninth year of King George IV., entitled " An Act for lighting, watching, and otherwise improving the town of Stalybridge, in the counties palatine of Lancaster and Chester, and for regu- lating the police thereof, and for establishing and regulating a market, and erect- ing a market-place within the said town?" and the township of Dukinfield, so far as the same is not comprised within those limits.

Croydon, Surrey—The parish of Croydon and the Hamlet of Penge. Gravesend, Kent—The parishes of Gravesend, Milton, and Norrofieet.

Hartlepool, Durham—The parishes, townships, and places of Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, Stranton, Briarton, Seaton Carew, Greatham, Claxton, Hart, Thros- ton, Elwick Hall, Dalton Percy, and Thorp Balmer.