HARBOUR ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1566, 9 October 1912, Page 6

HARBOUR ELECTIONS.

_ « LAW TO BE AMENDED. It i 3 likely that a short amendment to tho Harbours Act will 'be introduced and put through this session. It will deal only with thoso features of Harbour Board elections which require 'amendinent, as a, matter of urgency, More the elections take place in April next. _ Many complaints wero made before and after tho Harbour Board flections Of 1011 about the increased cost entailed by thej system of election laid down in the Harbours Amendment Act of 1010. Previously, country representatives on Harbour Boards liad been elected by delegation, and borough and city representatives by a poll of municipal ratepaj-crc. The amending Act of 1910. introduced olection of both town and country Harbour Board representatives on tho Parliamentary franchise. The increased cost of elections thus occasioned was still further increased by the fact Hint county council general elections are held tncnnially, while city and borough councils, like harbour boards, are elected biennially. The harbour board elections thus coincide with borough elections, but not with, elections in counties, which are included in tho combined districts that send representatives to harbour boards. Special rolls, therefore, have-to lie prepared in counties, and special polling places provided, for the harbour board elections. The increased cost of election under tha 6vstom now in vogue may bo gauged from (lie fact that the last election of the Wellington Harbour Board cost .£I3OO, whereas no previous olection of the board had cost more than .Cl5O, and Mime of them considerably less than that amount.