"ON THE ROLL?"

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1080, 20 March 1911, Page 6

"ON THE ROLL?"

, ROUNDING UP, T H E _ ELECTORS. . . SOME OF THE HUMOURS. On Saturday afternoon and evening last prominent members of the Labour party 'busied .themselves ' at of yanta'go in tho thoroughfares of .the city.'enrolling the "free and independent," .though somewhat, indifferent, elector.. It;iKas a liberal education in political thought measuring up the general knotfrectfte municipally'and politically, enrolment table, aiid some amusing episodes resulted. i' A. Slight Mistake, •' ..At, Morcer Street' a .nud.dle-iiged couple presented .Jtheniselvcs • .for enrolment, and after . the- man had beeii of tho assiduoiis canvasser, cori'luKhV Sh'.his judgment of' 'appearances', "alskcd':' "Shall I • make/out'a'fonti'for yo'ur'wife'?" Amid considerable confusion and much blushes, the lady answered: "We are not married—yet!" So the bewildered man, probably reflecting that it was time they were, enrolled the ladv in her' own right. "On the roll, sir?" elicited tttfta an individual 'the information „that!C he "had been fifty rears in- the..country,.,and never vatctl' fyeti". Heotolinedii toi mend his ways'.; at' the "solicitation •of - the Labour men. . ■ , ■ ••• " "Put 'me on, please! .was a frequent form of application. No need to ask questions from this/ class.-.-Its youthful ■appearance and confident air bespoke young New Zealand exercising its rights for the first time. Young New Zealand aforesaid was' also 'a frequent inquirer for ,the Saturday half-holiday petition. The Way of Woman.. . "Is this the tiling to voto. against th® drink?" asked a rather diffident female voice, The Labour man explained it was not, but offered, to enrol her all the same. She wasn't interested; however, and preferred to wait until the opportunity offered to express the sum total of her views on publio affairs "in' one hit," so to speak. The number of women who refuse to be enrolled is. .astonishing. "You're not on, madam," said the Labour man to a confident inquirer, and then he explained that 'all tho names of those who failed to vote at the last elec-. tion had been struck oft. "Oh, but I must be on," persisted the lady; "I voted at the last election. 1 voted for Mr. Wright." The Labour man, in despair, sat back'and once again went over the weary explanation of the'distinction between riiiinicipar and "Parliamentary elections, Tolls,, etc., .and ..another legally qualified but' .|intelle'ctualljv3isqualified elector was added to the list. All Sorts of Applicants, The result of the Dominion's immigration policy is seen in the number apply-ing-for enrolment who have '.not qualified by twelve months' residence, while quite a nurnber of old residents of Wellington we're very much surprised to find their names off the roll, many of them claiming to have voted at- the last election. One elderly gentleman seemed very much perturbed about the qualification, and though thirty years in the city had never yet, voted at a municipal election. On being enrolled he was . most effusive and shook hands cordially with all and sundry. ' Femininity usually signed its application in a shaky hand reminiscent of the marriage register, apparently feeling a tremendous responsibility in the matter. Taken by and large "enrolment Saturday" has achieved' its object, and ' promises, to be a regular, institution at the election times, the'hard work of the afternoon and evening being more than compensated, for to those who fake :their politics ; seriously by ' the oddities ' of thoso who:don't. As a Vesult'of the day's work it 'is expected..2ooo names will bo added to the municipal roll..