THE EIGHTH BALLOT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3098, 31 May 1917, Page 5

THE EIGHTH BALLOT

[ • DRAWING- COMPLETED. I The drawing of the Eighth. Ballot was 'completed yesterday by tho Government Statistician (Mr. Malcolm Fraser). The last card was drawn before 3 p.m., and tho BMS names, typed and arranged in alphabetical order in district lists, wero leady for the prfntei last night. This «xpedition was made possible by improved organisation nud increased efiicioncy on the part of tho staff. Tho system devised by Mr. Praser ;works now smoothly and swiftly. Tho cards as they are drawn from the boxes at tho choice of the marble are taken to an adjoining room, where a staff of girl typists transfer the names, occupations, And addresses of the men to now cards in triplicate. ' One set of cards is for the printer, a second is for the Recruiting Branch (for checking purposes), and •v th'rd is retained in the Government Statistician's office. The cards are sorted and arranged W other officers, and from them the lists as published aro compiled. Tho system loaves no apparent loopliolo ifor errors of omission. 'Tho checks that aro applied at every stage make it cortaiu that tho dropping of a name would be detected, and the system would enable tho officers to discover which card •was missing. Tho errors that are charged against tho ballot system arise from inaccuracies in the roll, involving the drawing of names of men who from one Teason or another aTe not liable These inaccuraoies, which very often aro tho fault of the reservists themselves, do :not concern the ballot staff, which has. the single duty of presenting names as 'lliey appear in tho .roll and aro drawn in tho ballot. The checking of tho names of the 8545 men drawn in the last ballot will proreed during this, week, and the lists will bo made public on Wednesday next.