8. Expense in excess of maximum to be illegal practice 9, Voting by prohibited persons and publishing of false state- Report of Election Court respecting illegal practice, and 12. Extension of 15 & 16 Vic. c. 57, respecting Election Com- Illegal Payment, Employment and Hiring. 13. Providing of money for illegal practice or payment to be SECTION 20. Use of committee room in house for sale of intoxicating liquor or refreshment, or in elementary school, to be illegal hiring... ... ... 21. Punishment of illegal payment, employment, or hiring PAGE 157 160 ... Excuse and Exception for Corrupt or Illegal Practice, or Illegal 22. Report exonerating candidate in certain cases of corrupt ... ... 23. Power of High Court and Election Court to except innocent act from being illegal practice, &c. Election Expenses. 24. Nomination of election agent ... 25. Nomination of deputy election agent as sub-agent 26. Office of election agent and sub-agent ... 27. Making of contracts through election agent 161 . 162 165 169 172 173 ... 30. Reference to taxation of claim against candidates ... ... ... 33. Return and declaration respecting election expenses Disqualification of Electors. 36. Prohibition of persons guilty of corrupt or illegal practices, &c., from voting... ... ... 37. Prohibition of disqualified persons from voting 39. List in register of voters of persons incapacitated for voting by corrupt or illegal practices Proceedings on Election Petition. 40. Time for presentation of election petitions alleging illegal practice ... 41. Withdrawal of election petition ... ... 200 201 203 216 226 231 SECTION 42. Continuation of trial of election petition PAGE 238 43. Attendance of Director of public prosecutions on trial of election petition, and prosecution by him of offenders... 239 44. Power to Election Court to order payment by county or borough or individual of costs of election petition Miscellaneous. 45. Inquiry by Director of public prosecutions into alleged corrupt or illegal practices... ... 46. Removal of incapacity on proof that it was procured by ... ... ... perjury 47. Amendment of law as to polling districts and polling 246 256 257 258 261 49. Election Commissioners not to inquire into elections before the passing of this Act 262 50. Trial in Central Criminal Court of indictment for corrupt practice at instance of Attorney-General 51. Limitation of time for prosecution of offence 53. Application of enactments of 17 & 18 Vic. c. 102 and 26 & 27 Vic. c. 29, relating to prosecutions for bribery 54. Prosecution on summary conviction, and appeal to quarter 263 265 266 ib. 271 55. Application of Summary Jurisdiction and Indictable Offences Acts to proceedings before Election Courts... 272 56. Exercise of jurisdiction of High Court, and making of rules of Court 57. Director of public prosecutions, and expenses of prose 58. Recovery of costs payable by county or borough or by Supplemental Provisions, Definitions, Savings, and Repeal. 59. Obligation of witness to answer, and certificate of indemnity 60. Submission of report of Election Court or Commissioners to 276 281 ib. 63. Definition of candidate, and saving for persons nominated PAGE 282 284 286 292 ib. 293 ib. 297 300 303 THE CORRUPT AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES PREVENTION ACT, 1883. THE urgent necessity of a measure for repressing actual corruption, and curtailing the unnecessary and extravagant expenditure at Parliamentary Elections, has been, ever since the General Election of 1880, so generally admitted, that the principle of the present Act was never seriously opposed during its passage through Parliament. As the Attorney-General said on the second reading of the Bill, "When the summer and autumn of 1880 had closed, when the country knew there had been electoral corruption, which seemed to increase as the constituencies grew in size, when it was found that that corruption had been applied to that portion of the constituencies not long existent he meant those men who had been lately enfranchised, and whose poverty rendered them an easy object to those who wished to corrupt-there was a general feeling that some steps must be taken by the B |