WHIP, in English parliamentary usage, denotes a member, chosen by the leader or leaders of a political party for the special duty of securing the attendance of the other members of that party on all necessary occasions, the term being abbreviated from the whipper-in of a hunt. The name is also given to the summons urging members of the party to attend. Political party whips are always members of parliament, and for the party in power (i.e., the government) their services are essential, seeing that the fate of an important measure, or even the existence of the government itself, may depend upon the result of a division in the House. The urgency or importance of the notice sent by the whips to their following is indicated by the number of lines underscoring the notice, a four-line whip usually signifying the extremest urgency. The chief government whip also holds the office of patronage secretary to the treasury, so called because when offices were freely distributed to secure the support of members, it was his chief duty to dispose of the patronage to the best advantage of his party. He is still the channel through which such patronage as is left to the prime minister is dispensed.
He is assisted by three junior whips, who are officially appointed as junior lords of the treasury; their salaries are LI,000 a year each, while the patronage secretary has a salary of £2,000. The parties not in office have whips who are unpaid. The whips also arrange for the "pairing" of such of the members of their party as desire to be absent with those members of the opposition party who also desire to be absent. The chief whips of either party further arrange in consultation with each other the leading speakers in an important debate, and also its length, and give the list of speakers to the speaker or chairman, who usually falls in with the arrangement. They take no part in debate themselves, but are constantly present in the House during its sittings, keep ing a finger, as it were, upon the pulse of the House, and con stantly informing their leader of the state of the House. When any division is regarded as a strictly party one, the whips act as tellers in the division.