The Dominion. MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1910. A VICIOUS PROPOSAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 907, 29 August 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1910. A VICIOUS PROPOSAL.

\ The Bill to amend the law relating to Parliamentary elections brought down by the Government last week has some useful provisions of a machinery nature. It, however, leaves practically untouched the objectionable Second Ballot system with all its possibilities of wirepulling and corruption between the first and second ballots; and introduces a new proposal which, in its way,. is also open to equally strong objection and will, we.' trust, be given shor.t shrift by Parliament when.the Bill comes up for consideration. We do not propose to discuss the evils of the Second Ballot system on the preseni. occasion—we fear it would be of little use at the moment. But the other proposal referred to calls for attention. It is embodied in Clause 5 of the Legislature Act Amendment Bill which reads as follows: ' '

(1) The Minister may from time to time direct that an electoral census be taken of every or any electoral district for tho purpose of enrolling all persons' qualified to bo enrolled and who are not already enrolled in respect of the district for which ajiy such' census is taken.

(2) Every master or mistress of any licensed publichou.se, lodginghouse, or private dwellinghouse shall, on the application of an enrolment officer appointed for. the purpose of the compilation of tho rolls, give all such information as to the names, occupations', and qualifications for enrolment of all persons residing or lodging in that hbuso'as the officer may request. and'.the'master or mistress is able to give.

(3) Every person who on being requested as aforesaid fails to faithfully give such information is liable to a fine of five pounds.

This proposal means nothing less than a house-to-house, canvass by paid Government canvassers to secure the enrolment of' every person entitled'to be enrolled as an elector under the Parliamentary franchise. Some time ago Dr. Finduy hinted at legislation of this nature, and we then pointed out briefly some of the weaknesses and possible evils attached to any step of this kind. It is impossible, we think,, to justify it on any ground; but even conceding that the principle of forcing citizens to enrol is defensible it is difficult to show that any- necessity exists, for the step proposed. At the last;general election, for instance, according to a return prepared by the, Registrar-General, the .adult population of the Dominion was 538,950. .This was on October 31, 1908. The number of electors on" the roll at that time was 537,003. Thus it will be seen that out of a total adult population of over half a million, less than 2000 persons, on the figures quoted, failed to enrol. l\ T o doubt it may be said that the total of 537,003 enrolled included some duplications and also the. names-of persons who had loft the country or had died since their names were included; But the rolls had been thoroughly overhauled under the system instituted by the chief electoral officer and the number of names improperly included would be comparatively small. Approximately then the enrolment of citizens entitled to vote was as shown above, and must bo considered highly satisfactory. • Practically ... all those qualified to vote who desired to exercise their privilege must have taken advantage.of the easy opportunities afforded them for j enrolment. There is ncyfc the slightest justification, therefore, for the appointment of an army of' canvassers to carry through this electoral census scheme on the ground that the public are not aware of their rights in' the matter of placing their names on the roll, or on the further ground that the facilities for enrolment are not adequate. But as a'matter of principle also the proposal is an extremely objectionable one. What possible gain js to be derived from compelling citizens to enrol? , Is the public life of the Dominion likely to be benefited by forcing the enrolment of the comparative few who at present do not take sufficient interest in the obligations of citizenship to fill in an enrolment form for themselves'? Will these people, when they are enrolled, trouble even to record their votes, or if they do what value can be attached to votes" of persons so little concerned with their electoral privileges 1 • The next step we shall near of will be a penalty for those electors who do not"exorcise their votes.- Or as a contemporary suggests the Government might take means to convey electors to the polling places; or Ministers might go a step further and encourage electors to do their duty by providing light refreshments for all who vote. The whole thing is wrong in principle and must do infinitely more harm than good. If a citizen attaches so little value to his privileges under our electoral law as to shirk the small amount of trouble involved in placing his name on the electoral roll, his vote obviously -is not, likely to be of much value to/ the community. Certainly this proposal, if agreed to, will give the Government an opportunity for the exercise of a little further patronage—it will provide more billets for friends of the party in ,pawer. It may even.some day be turncd-to useful account. as a party electioneering device if due care is exorcised to appoint touts of the right colour. From practically every other point of view, however, it is undesirable and unnecessary and should be deleted from the Bill when the measure comes nil for consideration by Parliament.