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Lords to strike out the clause. The clause was subsequently
amended by excepting the County of London from its provisions.
As amended, the Bill received the Royal Assent on the 21st
August, 1907.
78. This Bill provided for the earlier notification of births,.
Notification
of Births.
and the sending to the Medical Officer to Health
of a notice within thirty-six hours after the birth of
a child, and for the Medical Officer ot Health to send weekly to
the London County Council a list of all notices received by him
during the week. The Bill also provided that the Local Government
Board might by order declare that the Act shall be enforced
in the area of a Local Authority, although it had not been adopted
by such authority. The Council whilst approving of an acceleration
in the registration of births was of opinion that this object
could be attained more effectually by shortening the period (six
weeks) now allowed for such registration than by the scheme
proposed by the Bill, which would duplicate the work at considerable
expense. A petition was therefore presented against the
Bill which was, however, passed, and received Royal Assent on
the 28th August, 1907.
79. At a special Meeting of the Council on the 6th November,
convened to consider as to adopting the Act, a motion that the
Act be adopted for the Borough was not carried.
80. This Bill is designed to abolish plural voting at Parlia-
Elcctions and
Registration.
mentary Elections in London, by providing that the
County of London shall be one Parliamentary
Borough, and that every Parliamentary Borough or division of a
Parliamentary Borough within the County shall be a division of
the Parliamentary Borough of London ; it also provides that the
Clerk of the London County Council shall be the returning officer
for the whole of the County. This Council presented a petition
against the Bill on the ground that the enquiries contemplated by
Clause 2 of the Bill would cause enormous expense, and would not
result in more correct or more complete registers of electors being
made than are at present made; that the time allowed for such
enquiries and preparation of the lists of electors is insufficient, and
the fines to which Town Clerks would be liable are, under the
circumstances unreasonable; that before any alterations are made
in the law relating to the registration of electors the question of