BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

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League.
In large measure this was the indirect result of the Corrupt
Practices Act (1883) which placed rather stringent limitations on the
expenditures made by parliamentary candidates.
In the English, Welsh,
and Scottish boroughs, candidates were permitted to use only £350
during an election campaign in communities with fewer than 2,000
registered voters.
In the larger boroughs individuals contesting
office might spend a maximum of £380 with an additional £30 for each
additional
1,000 voters.6
In the county constituencies the figures were greater,
reflecting the larger expenses incurred by the candidates in their
efforts to reach electors spread over a larger, more sparsely populated
constituency.
In the case of districts in which the registered voters
numbered fewer than 2,000, the candidates were entitled to spend £650.
Individuals standing in county constituencies with more than 2,000
electors could apply £710 to the campaign and an additional £60 for
each 1,000 voters.
The above figures applied only to individual
candidates contesting single-member districts. 7
Strict limitations were also placed on the number of assistants
that could be hired by an individual standing for office.
A clerk and
an officer were allocated for every 500 voters to a borough polling
district. The same restrictions applied to county constituencies. The
Central Committee of each party in every county were also permitted a
clerk and a messenger for every 5,000 voters.
All of the above named
6
0'Leary, The Elimintation of Corrupt Practices in British
Elections, p. 175.
7
Ibid.