THE Bay of Plenty times.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 353, 26 January 1876, Page 2

THE Bay of Plenty times.

"THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES SHALL TEACH ME SPEED." KING JOHN, ACT IV.

Wednesday, January 26, 1876

The. annual period has again arrived, when, among- other duties devolving upon them as citizens, those entitled to the privilege are called \vpon to register their claims to vote. The qualifications of a voter are : that he shall be either a freeholder, leaser holder, or householder, and the process of registration is the very easy one of fiUing-in the printed form before a Justice of the Peace and forwarding the same to the Registration Officer of the District, Mr E. E. Hamlin, of Maketu. As the general election has just taken place, when the minds of everyone almost must have been agitated by the conflicting elements of the various contests, however apathetically they may have been regarded when only looming in the distance, there were doubtless many who, at the eleventh hour, would have desired to take part in the proceedings,, and who, because they had omitted the simple duty of registering their votes, were debarred from doing so. "We would, therefore, remind those qualified as electors, that the period up to which votes, can be registered, terminates on the 31st of March. To enlarge on the subject of the actual duty which devolves upon everyone, who is qualified to do so, to place- his name on the electoral roll would be superfluous, the fact must be so patent to those interested, we should suppose, as to render such a reminder on our part, unnecessary; but this duty is particularly incumbent on every citizen in a new country like New Zealand, and especially so in sparsely populated districts such as the East Coast, where every vote assumes a greater proportionate value on account of its relative value to the whole number of votes recorded being greater as the total is less than in largely populated districts. There can be but little doubt that the next Parliament will have an exciting existence, and to judge from the nature of the topics that are likely to be brouglikuader discussion, there is no knowing what a day may bring forth. Outside the House, therefore, let every elector be prepared for any emergency, and by a proper registration of his vote be ready to act- should the necessity for action occur. In Poverty Bay no stone is being left unturned to place everyone's name on the Electoral Roll ; among other means adopted, the Road' Board has appointed Collectors of the Roll in the district. We. trust, therefore, that the energy displayed in Poverty Bay will act as a still greater incentive to the residents in the Bay of Plenty to be thoroughly on the alert. Under certain clauses' of an Act to amend the law relating to the Registration of: Electors, ..dated 21st of November, 1875, it is provided that the Clerks to Highway Boards shall make out lists "of 'the -ratepayers which shall be de'dli wi|;h •by . the Registration Officer, as ..claims to.be inserted on the list of voters for. the electoral district as effectually as if the claims had been made in the form prescribed by the Act of 1866; but, notwithstanding the new regulation,we would, in the present instance, re-

commend, that would . be\ electors should themselves, register. their votes in the usual manner.

We have taken some trouble 1 to get the best opinions on • the question whether, in the event of an election being declared void from bribery or other causes, the next on the poll would become the sitting member, or: a new election be required. So far as we can learn, everything depends upon the circumstances-of the particular case. Where there had been only two candidates, and one was unseated for bribery or other misconduct, there could be no doubt his opponent would be declared the sitting member: where there were more than two candidates the case would be different, as it is possible many of those who voted honestly for the unseated member would not have done so for the candidate next on. the p011... Their votes might 1 have gone to swell the number of the third or fourth candidate, and so have placed him at the head, if they had not polled for the unseated member. Where there are only two candidate's, and the successful one is unseated for causes not connected with unfair play, a new election is the natural course. It was so in the case of Mr Von derHeyde when unseated as an alien, for the Waitemata. This is quite intelligible if we keep in view the intent of an election. It is not a race in which candidates are merely intended to win. The object is to give to the electors the truest and best possible representation. If this be made the task, it will be seen that the result, so far as the other candidates are concerned, must depend, as we have said, on the circumstances of each particular case.

Last Saturday's Evening Star says : — " We learn that there is a probability of the proposed petition against Captain Reid's election for the East Coast falling through from the lack of funds to bring it into court. After action had been initiated and protests entered it is neither just to one side nor the other that the matter, should be allowed to drop, and we therefore hope that this will not be permitted until the whole circumstances have been ventilated." We have every reason to think that the Star is quite out in its calculation, and that the petition will not fall through. We agree with the Star that it is not just to either side that the matter should be allowed to drop, and if the evidence is of as tangible a character as it is reported to be, the withdrawal of the prosecution would, in our opinion, be tantamount to a condonation of crime. We sincerely hope that, as Captain Morris and his supporters have taken the matter in hand, they will not so far stultify themselves and this portion of the East Coast Electorate, as to withdraw at the eleventh hour. As we have, on more than one occasion, previously observed, Captain Morris has our best wishes for the success of this action, if, as we are assured, bribery and corruption have been perpetrated ; and we will go further, and say that our mite would be forthcoming towards the payment of costs on the production of tangible proof.