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shall be requisite to authorise the cutting off of water supplied
for domestic purposes. [Withdrawn.]
Parliamentary
Franchise.
(Women).
Two Bills giving the right to women to vote in
all Parliamentary Elections have been introduced,
one by Mr. Woodall, and the other by Mr. Walter McLaren.
[Withdrawn.]
Poor Rate
(Metropolis).
This Bill is based upon the proposition that the
relief of the poor of the metropolis is a common interest of all
the ratepayers of the metropolis, and that consequently the
cost of such relief should be defrayed by a rate levied equally
over the entire metropolitan area. The principle was recognised
in 1867 by the establishment of the Metropolitan
Common Poor Fund, the operation of which has from time
to time been extended, until it now covers about 43 per cent.
of the cost of poor relief.
The inadequacy of this provision is exhibited by the
latest return, which shows that the poor rate in Holborn
is three shillings in the pound, whilst in Westminster it is
only one shilling and seven pence, and the return shows that
the poorest districts are the most heavily rated.
It is proposed by this Bill to charge the whole cost
of poor relief in the metropolis upon the Common Fund
(Clause 4).
The Bill avoids centralisation by interfering as little
as possible with the several boards of guardians (Clause
11). But, on the other hand, as the guardians will be
empowered to draw upon a common fund provided by
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