S E L E C T C O M M I T T E E ON F I C T I T I O U S V O T E S , I R E L A N D . 175 / Men tis, 22° die Mail, 1838. MEMBERS PRESENT. Mr. Curry. Mr. French. Mr. Linton. Mr. O'Connell. Lord G. Somerset. Mr. Serjeant Jackson. Mr. Lefroy. LORD GRANVILLE SOMERSET, IN THE CHAIR. Mr. Simon Nicholls, called in ; and further Examined. 10677. Chairman.'] HAVE you any suggestions to make by which you think the present system of registration in Ireland might be amended ?— I consider that it would be well if there could be facility given to simplify the registry, and the person to have his name renewed annually. 10678. Do you think it would be desirable that the party should be put upon the registry annually, or that the register should be revised annually ?— Revised annually. 10679. That is to say, that, if there are any objections to bad voters upon the registry, you wish that those objections should be made available every year ?— Yes ; that notice to that effect might be given, and the registry renewed every year. • 10680. Do you think it would be advisable, that, instead of there being a quarterly registry, and persons put upon the register remaining seven years, that there should be only a registry once a year, and that that registry might be open to revision every year ?— I think so. 10681. Is there any other point to which you wish to speak, and by which you conceive there would be greater facility of registering good votes, and of preventing the registering of bad votes ?— I cannot say just now; but I think many more might be registered than are, if there was facility given for a man having 10/. or 20/. beneficial interest being allowed the advantage of it. 10682. Will you define what you consider " beneficial interest"?— I think the present standard of requiring a man to get a profit- rent of 101, prevents many who have had a beneficial interest of 201, or 301, being registered; and my reason for thinking so is this: that a pensioner on 20 a year pension lives very miserably compared with a man who has five or six acres of ground, and who, by his own industry, lives as well as a tradesman will on 50 I. a year. 10683. Will you state to the Committee what you deem to he a beneficial interest ?— 1 consider his having milk and provisions for his family by his farm, instead of going to market; it would save him a great deal. 10684. You mean to say that your view of " beneficial interest " is, that supposing a person to rent a certain amount of land, and supposing him, in addition to paying liis rent and taxes, to support himself and his family, you conceive that he has a beneficial interest, such as is contemplated by the Reform Bill ?— I do ; I consider further, that his having a few acres of land enables him to live 10 I. or 20 I. a year better than if he had not that land, and was obliged to depend upon the precarious chance of getting a day's labour. 10685. Then you conceive that the larger a man's family is, the greater is his beneficial interest if he supports them ?— Yes, if lie rears them indus- triously. 10686. And, of course, his beneficial interest is still greater if he has a large family, and they are sons and daughters grown up to a certain age, and can assist to cultivate more land than would be the case if he happened to be a single man, or a man with only small children ?— Yes. 10687. Therefore the larger the family the greater is his beneficial interest? — I consider so. 643. z 3 10688. And Mr. S. NicholU. 22 May 1838.