J-FORCE VOTING STARTS

Chronicle (Levin), 23 November 1946, Page 6

J-FORCE VOTING STARTS

w ; -■ CHOFU, Nov. 20." For more than 4500 New Zealand ers of the Allied Land ahd Air Occupation Forces in Japan, voting began' today when 17 polling booths seattered over the huge area between tlie extreme south of the Second N.Z.E.F. Zone and Tokio 600 miles away, opened for the first day of the • three-day voting period. Early reports from booths indicate that there is widespread intetest in the election..and it is anticipated that by Friday night a particularly liigh per eentage of serviee votes will be recorded. Since the arrival of the special returning offlcer, . Major Polloek, from New Zealand' last montli, a comprehensive organisation - has • been set up to ensure that every New Zealander between Southern Japan and Inner Manchqria, is given the opportu-nity to vote. This organisation is-centred parficularly on the Second N.Z.E.F. and No. 44 Squadron of tlie R.N-.Z.A.F. but it extends to include • official's- of the Far East War Crimes trials, civilians working in Tokio and Unrra officials in places as far distant as Slianghai, Mukden, Nanking and Formosa. Altogether there are more than 30 New Zealanders with Unrra in China. By far the largest jiumber of electors are in the three main Second N.Z.E.F. areas of Chofu, Yamaguclii and Mizubo, with No. 14 Squadron at Iwakuni, and on the island of Eta Jima where the Maori company from the Divisional Cavalry Regiment ia at present on guard duty. Additional polling booths are at the 6th New Zealand General Hospital at Iviwa, ai tho coastal outposts of Haki ahd Tokuvama,. at Senzaki repatriation centre, the British sub-area in Tokio,' and other smaller .B.C.O.F. formations where tlicre are New Zealanders. The provisional lists. of candidates which went out to returning officers early this montli were revised and correcled as eoon as tlie linal list .of iioniinations was received from. New. Zealand and they were in the .polling booths when voting began this morning. . Since Noveinber 7, ' when a special edition of the weekly. .paper, J Force Times, a'rrived in Japan, .tlie New Zealanders had party policy statenients available to tliem. Tlie special edition, wliicli contained four pages of policy statements, was distributed on tlie basis of oue copy to every two men and was also supplied .to . New Zealand civilians. Interest in tlie election has

also been stimulated by the publicatiou every day in the B;C.O.F. newspaper, "B.C.O.N.", of highlights" of tlie eauipaign and by frequent references m unit orders to local polling arrangements. Today "B.C.O.N. " gave a full page to the list of nominations and maps sliowing. the eleetoral boundaries, and statements explaining the licenging issues. The . only . hiteh in: the eleetoral arrangements 'occurred in the Philippines where the R.N.Z.A.F. Courier Dakota eafrying detailed plabe -indices, had serious engine trouble and has not yet been able to continue ' its journey to Japan. Arrangements were made to transfer the lists to another aireraft which is expected to ' reaeh [kakuni tomorrow. * In the * mean tiine general instructions have been issued to' all polling booths that any voters uncertain of their electorates are. to 'be allowed to defer voting until the plkee indices are r-eeeived. ' Major Polloek and scrutineers are to visit most of the Seeond" N.Z.E.F. polling eentres within the nest two days. "