"DISFRANCHISED!"

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1090, 31 March 1911, Page 6

"DISFRANCHISED!"

"MORE SLIPSHOD LEGISLATION," AN ELECTION HUDDLE. Under tiio heading of "More Slipshod Legislation," the "Otago Daily Times" severely criticises the Legislature for its "slovenliness" in connection with a curious omission in the schedule of that section of tho Harbours Bill dealing with the election of members. "Within a lew weeks from tho present date," says the "Otago Daily Times," "elections will be held for the purpose of reluming members of Harbour Boards on the amended bnsis of representation provided for under tho legislation of last session. And now at this belated stage tho Law Officers of the Crown, prompted by tho specific inquiries made by the Otago Board have admitted that tho Harbours Act is really open to the reproach that it deliberately and unblushingly disfranchises thousand's ot electors who happen to bo resident in boroughs contained within county boun""les The deficiency 'of the Ac. consists in its omissions. It provides that tho counties, as well .as ccrtpin boroughs tho names of which are scheduled, shall elect representatives, but other boroughs the names of which are not scheduled are. ignored. Their oxistfn,™ \ s S ""P'J' »ot recognised I lie absurciny of l!, c situation is obvious, lne counties of Taieri and Waikouaiti. with portions of Waihemo and certain scheduled town and road districts, are to e oct one. harbour board member, but the electors of the boroughs of Green Island, Mosgivl, Waikouaiti, and I'almerston aro |o Have no voice in the selection. Similarly, while ilio counties of Bruce, Tuapeka, Mamototo, and Clutha are to elect a member between them, such boroughs as .Milton kaitangata, Lawrence, Tapani.., Balclutha, an,] Naseby are to regard the matter as one in which thev have no concern. \U need „ ot suppose 'that anvV-"? s st ? . fat ' lo "s 'unci anomalous as this (I'stranchisement of about a third of the electors resident within county boundaries was ever contemplated by the framers of the Act, but the mischief has been dou» and cannot be repaired until further Icis- <&\ ( hat „ eml ™" b <> introduced. Shorty after the Harbour' Bill was brought down, and as far back as Jul/ last, we pointed out, among other criticisms of. its provisions, the fact that ittook no account of the boroughs within counties, yet it was eventually allowed to drift into the Statute Book with the most apparent of its original deficiencies Were f1,,-, mi:h - h, , , ' b , C ' l , • aml ""redeemed. ilUu i'-V- 'P l^'"1 llist ance of its kind it would stilt b e remarkable as an i 11,,", tration of legislative slovenliness. Unfortunately, concludes the article, it has precedent to an extent that makes it a still legislative methods. A Weakness in the System, n,f rcp u seu , htiv «.of'The Dominion-, as the result of certain inquiries venter lav 'f Z ta ?V\ tlle fact * " f the'ease we -o :s staled by the "Otago Daily Times " the position of the Crown Law Departmen, with respect to measuies before llf* t • ?"' '- u,s bce " hall<!e <l over to .^ 0 ,t has, officially, no reusorj- tunctions to perform in the ca=c of subsequently amendments to the mea£ FsTo' av D | %r to the We. ThS and finnllv ' ma * "? haclcetl abo «t" and fanally emerge with material altera«l "£r b ■ V If *$ rcferred "'» its «'ncndfor fi Z ° - hB Cr °t?' n W department toi final review. Hence, if the Bill as amended is defective in eertaii, respects the responsibility of pointing these out is not upon the Department. It nmj"happen, however that a particular defect nay como under tho notice of one of the law officers,* and he may draw the attention o the Jlmister to it. But ho is not obliged, in h,s official capacity, to do it, and, further, his suggestion may be ig. nored especially in a case where tho Minis er in charge has had a hard fight > i;et the Bill through, and prefers to let it go than recommit it. This state of affairs is considered to be a weakness in the system of legislation. Whose the Blame? i °" £!'.?, nraro »" question of the Harbours Bill, and tho def.-ct in (ho schedule complained of by (ho "Otago Daily lime?" it was ascertained 'that the schedules under discussion were, as is usual, .simply, accepted by.the' Law Department as supplied by the Marine Department, the latter being assumed to bo responsible for tho accuracy and completeness of the schedules. A further inquiry showed that, in tho case of tho local bodies in the Otago Harbour District who were disfranchised ,by the defect m' the Harbours Bill, the omission of the local, bodies affected, was considered to bo duo to the fact that no representations were made on their behalf, despite tho fact that the Bill was, off and on, before Parliament for something like two months. Apropos of this, the "Otago Daily Times" asserts that tho defect was pointed out as far back as July last. So far as Wellington is concerned, none' of tho local bodies have suffered bv the incompleteness of the schedule, care'being taken, evidently, to see that full representation was provided for.