I was a member of the Speaker's Committee on Franchise Reform, which recommended the conferring of the Parliamentary franchise on women, its recommendation being accepted by the Government and embodied in the Act now on the Statute-book. The age was originally fixed at 35, but afterwards reduced by the Government to 30. The question of the capacity of women to exercise the vote, in comparison with men, formed no part whatever of the reason for selection of 35 as the voting age. It was the question of sex, and sex alone. Nature has ordained, and apparently it is a fixed law, that there shall always be more women than men. If therefore the franchise was given to the members of both sexes at 21, there would be a large preponderance of women voters on the register and women would have the power to decide matters of vital importance to the State, a complete reversal of sex predominance. The Committee thought it far too great a risk, and Parliament agreed. I venture to beg the Prime Minister, whose very loyal follower I am, to reconsider his determination in view of this argument. - SIR HARVEY SAMUEL, late M.P. for Norwood, Monte Carlo.
.lcBy limiting the vote to women over the age of 30, the 1918 Reform Act had sought to keep the number of women voters below those of men.
