THE MUNICIPAL ROLLS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 522, 1 June 1909, Page 8

THE MUNICIPAL ROLLS.

the Purging process commenced. .Following up.. tha . decision of the City I Council to purge the municipal roll of duplications, -the ; names - of. deceased persons, . etc.," . :.the.. town ~ clerk (Mr. J. .i R. Palmer) has already ; posted ; circulars, id. those, votors. possessing the residential qualification who woro.not marked.off the dopufcios'. rolls as having'exercised their privilege;' v. '/; K ' :; 'r : ir,'";. ;;. '/: ' / :•',. \ ' The.test of:the circular.is as follows:— : ''According to the certified list of voters, you appear not. to ..have exercised your vote , at' the recent 'municipal elections! Please in-formVme-whether you still hold.'the. same qualification -(residential) as a voter, ajid whether you desire that your namo should appear on the list. Unless I hear from; you within seven days fromdate, your name will be, struck off . the list;" . The number of these circulars .issued was about: 760.': It will be noted that the town; clerk does ; not allege .that' any : particular, person "did not .vote.".He merely says, "You 'appear' not to- have your privilege. The reason is that there are so many duplications on the roll that it cannot be isaid/with any; degreo of oortainty that' any person did not vote. , . A batch of replies were .received yesterday morning. Most of the; writers seemed to havo been provented '■ by absence from town from exercising their privilege, bht others were, unwell, and all desired to ', remain on. the roll. Some replied that they had voted. That proved;.that thoir' names, were not marked off, or that the name .was duplicated. 'In ono - caso, a gentleman s_aid'_ he had voted. ' Ho was shown an application form purporting to have been signed, by him, but he decla'pqd "that;ho ; could not write,_ and never authorised: anyone to sign for him. . The returning officer (Mr., James. Ames) has a' staff of about half-a-dozen under him investigating mattfers. Ho expects to havo the tangled skein'unravelled 'in about- a fortnight. . .

It appears that; a little ignorance concern,ng voting and elections'" is; still prevalent. The circular is headed-'in'.larc;o |>lack capitals tho- District Electors' List." This Btrticll.terror,'to the heart of an old ladv, and,she and her spouse went post-haste to the town clerk to look into the matter. ,r What haveVe done?" the husband asked. Called upon for. explanation, he said that his wife had /understood from the letter tliat they rwere ; to Vgetiseven days, for perjury! Matters were easily smoothed. over, and' the electors', retired'.much relieved in mind.