ARE YOU ENROLLED?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1238, 21 September 1911, Page 7

ARE YOU ENROLLED?

: 4 ' bungling alleged. ELIGIBLE VOTERS STRUCK OFF. i ' ■ EVILS OF ELECTORAL CENSUS. Matters of- great. importance in regard to the electoral rolls were raised in tho House of liepresentatives yesterday, when Mr. Massey put a question b the Prime Minister, without notice. The Leader of the Opposition asked whether instructions bad been given to the Registrar to cease purging the electoral- rolls. A statement was current to that effect, and if the order had been given, as stated, he would like to know why. it had been made. The Primo Minister stated that under the .Act as it stood at the moment the census notices sent out. required those who received them, to send an intimation, to the .Registrar of Electors within seven davs. Thousands of people had failed to "return these notices. Ho understood that in one electorate in. the suburbs ot Wellington—Wellington South-over J00!) names had been struck oil the roll. Ho sfoond that at present probably 3a,C00 people in the country had been struck off the roll. People moving about the country, unless they - applied within one month befoi-e the. election to bo put ■upon the roll in respect of their new residence, could not get -upon -tho i' o "- view of this he had given instructions that in tho meantime purging,of the rolls should cease. There was no intention 01 returning tho names of persons , not ontitled to bo on,the rolls. Ihe courso indicated had been taken in order that-at might be decided whether legislation would bo necessary in order to overcome tho conflict between the census system and the registration' of voters under the earlier Act. All ho wanted to be suro about was that all entitled to be upon tho rolls should bo registered. Mr. Buchanan'asked whether the seven days' notice provision applied to country , and town alike. , ' Tho Prims' Minister replied that it would. It niigbt be necessary, when he: knew the exact position in a day or two, to put' more people in both town and country-on the roll, that overyono ■ entitled.'to vote might be enrolled. Mr. W..-Frasor (Wakatipu) said the seven days' notice should be a clear seven days from the date the notices were posted. He knew of instances in which the date on the 'notice was four days earlier than the date on the posl-inark. ■ The Prime Minister said the Postal Department'was working v.;ith the Electoral Department' and supplying a list of the BOlices posted from day to day, and it was from those records 'that the seven days''were reckoned. ';Soriau3 State of Affai/s. Mr. Massey said the statement of tho Prima" Minister disclosed a serious condition of affairs. He believed it wotild bo found that the names of tens of thous-' ands ,of people were not oil the rolls ot the districts to which they belonged. It should be made perfectly clear to the electors that Lliey must thems'elves sea that they were on the rolls and on no account rely on tho : Government or tho Departmental officers. lie also wanted to know what was being done to tnko off those names, which ought not to be on the Tolls.. A serious mistake was made in abandoning tho old system of automatic purging of t'lio' rolls. Every effort should be made to go to. the. elections with, a perfectly clean.roll. . Mr. Isitt (Christchurch. North) said ho had received a letter stating that between 1500 and 2000 people entitled' to vote in his electorate were at present unenroUed. The Rolls Ovcr-purgod. The Prime Minister said the purging of tho rolls was going on all.the time under the system established in connectioh with the census. The difficulty'was-.-that some persons had not received the notices and therefore could not send them back and had been struck off when they. • should have been left on the .rolls. There could be no- question as to the purging: Tho trouble was over-purging, but the rolls would be all right in time for. the. election. If,not, he would ask the House to pass an amending clause t'o make. sure that every person ovtfr 21 years of age and qualified by residence should bo entitled to vote. In order to onsure that result'he would propose to put on enough officials to have them all enrolled, ,I'hat ought to meet the whole position.. He was as desirous as anybody of having a clean roll. Tho whole matter had been engaging his attention during . the past ■week. ■ . :

Mr. W. C. Buchanan (Wairarapa) asked under what circumstances the sov.-n-l days' notices were sent out. He understood that in liis own electorate they were only sent to thosfc who, w - ere supposed to have left the district. The Prime Minister said the law for the taking of the census required tho census notices to be sent to every elector, and on receipt of the notice the elector had to advise the Electoral Department. Mr. Fisher: Every householdor, surely? Sir Joseph Ward; Yes, probably every householder. Jfr. Buchanan said the matter was very important in the country districts. There seemed to have been a general bungle. The Prime Minister said there had been no such thing 'as a general bungle. Mr. .Anderson (Mataura) asked when the rolls were likely to be available. - Re supposed this complication would delay tliem. , ' The Premier said arrangements had been made throughout tho country for printing the rolls in the dilferont districts. ; The main rolls would be completed .within the timo intended, Tho Cause of the Trouble, . Mr. Wright asked whether the Premier recognised that, the electoral census system was largely the cause of the trouble. In his district of Wellington South there should bo 1-100 people newly enrolled, and not one of-them was on the roll. This': was .because they thought tho census was sufficient to got them on the roll. The census was responsible for all tho bungle. He could not think what it was established.for, and nobody seemed'to be able to tell him.

The Premier said somo people had probably been confused, as stated by Mr. Wright, but steps would bo taken to enrol everybody who was entitled. Mr. T. H. Davey (Christchurch East) asked as to the' contract prices for tho printing of the rolls. Ho said that on a former occasion ho had drawn attention to tho excessive price of 275. a page. The • Premier said that a satisfactory arrangement as to a maximum prico had been come to with the Master Printers' Association.

Mr. Bnick (Palmerston North) said ho lad been approached by several peoplo who had been asked by a registrar which electorate they were in. They could not ascertain it from the existing maps. The Prime Minister said the corrected maps, which he hoped to bo able to lay on the table on Friday, would make alj fnch matters clear. The maps would be'; distributed by thousands. A Danrjer to be Avoided! Mr. Massey: And when do" yon expcct tho election will take' place? Sir Joseph AVard: Before Christmas. (Laughter.) In reply to Mr. M'Laren, tho Premier fiaid every care would bo taken .to seo that all seamen'entitled to vote would have an opportunity ,of being enrolled. In reply to Mr. Fisher, ho said he thought, it would be a mistake to introduce the Australian system of voting by post, as it would be. open to abuse. Air. Poole said there would bo a danger of having a stuffed roll if special agents were put on to enrol voters just hefore the elections. If this Had to bo done, reliable men must be appointed, irrespective of political creed or colour. Tho Premier said every caro would bo taken.