SOLDIERS' VOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 33, 3 November 1919, Page 4

SOLDIERS' VOTES

AT COMING F,LECTIONS DIFFICULTIES APPEAR INSUPERABLE Some judication of the difficulties about allowing soldiers not' yet returned to New Zealand an opportunity to vote in the coining Parliamentary el>etions was given to the House of liepresentalives on Saturday evening bv Mr. Massey. -Mr. Massey read from a memorandum he had received on the subject from tho head of the Electoral .Department, Mr. Massey said thai; legislation was being prepared on the subject, but thprc were grave difficulties to be got over. With regard to the election of members of Parliament, the difficulties seemed to be almost; insuperable. It would not be possible to get the names of the candidates until some ten days before polling day. Those names would have to be sent by wireless to every troopship at, sea. Blank papers would have to be printed in England bv the Hijjli Commissioner, into which' th;> names could be written on tho ship. I'liore was a chance that tile ships might be out of wireless reach, and this risk was a grave objection io I,lie scheme. There would also bo the greatest difficulty in taking the votes of the soldiers on the ships, because the men, with tho new electoral boundaries, would net know in what district they resided. Indeed, the experience of the other occasion when the votes of soldiers were taken had proved that a great number of men had no idea in what electorate they lived. The Chief Electoral Officer suggested that tho method that promised to be easiest in operation would bo to print the ballot papers with the names of the three parijes in the .Hons?—Government, Opposition, Labour. But this system would be open to the objection that it would not be possible to provide under it for independent candidates, of wliom there promised to be more than tlv usual number at the coming election.

As to the National Prohibition poll, there would be no suc'lt serious difficulty, because the ballot papers could be printed in advance, and the votes could lie recorded on tho steamers. There would not be the difficulty in regard lo this poll .in discovering in what electorate a man resided, because this question was, for the purposes of this poll, immaterial. But this difficult* would make it unsafe and undesirable that in local no-licer.so districts soldiers at sea should be given local restoration papers for the purposo of recording their votes. Place of residence for the purposes of this vote would 1m of the utmost importance, and tho right of nn applicant to voto could not "bo satisfactorily determined.-, *'1. have read this memorandum," said Mr. Mawey, "to let members know the very serious difficulties there are- in taking the votes of soldiers at sea, mid especially in ease tho ships may be ,out of wireless range." ' Sir Joseph Ward: How many does this affect?

Mr. Massey: I think it will affect 150 ft or 2000. Sir James Allen said that he did not expect that the number would exceed o:ie thousand. Sir Joseph .AVsird: What about those in England? Sir Jame.s Allan: There will be none there. They will all have left by then. Sir Joseph Ward: Will (here not be anv in hospital? Sir James Allen: They are very nearly all evacuated now. Mr. Massey said that there was another pcint 'to be borne in mind, and it was that ill tho event of the ships being delayed, it, would nnt be possible to keep bick the declaration of the polls for long. The writs would have vii be returned for a number of reasons. Oho of the reasons would be that members could not receive their pay until the return of the writs, He had given veiy careful consideration to this matter, and he was really doubtful whether in view of the great difficulties, it was worth while to try to deal with tho problem. 'Mr. Isitt: What about the prohibition vote? Mr. Mass»v: There will be no difficulty aV-out tiic prohibition vote. Mr. Isitt said that a most, untruthful statement had been made in the last campaign to the effect that the prohibition people had done their best to prevent the soldiers from having a vote on the licensing issue. As a matter of fact they had from the beginning stipulated that the soldiers must have their votes. SJ r. Massey said that so far as he knew no difficulty had been placed in the way of the soldiers voting by either of the two parties. Sir James Alien emphatically supported the statement of tho Prime Minister, adding also that the Government had placed no difficulties in the way of soldiers voting.