TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, JULY 11, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3131, 11 July 1881, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, JULY 11, 1881.

Wβ understand that the Registrar of Electors for the Napier and Clive districts interviewed Mr Ormond on Friday Jast in order to call his attention to the Registration of Electors Act, 1879, and to the defects in that measure by which it is almost impossible to purge the rolls of names improperly on them. Clause 9 is as follows:—"If the claimant satisfy the Registrar that his name is valid the Registrar shall forthwith place the name of the claimant on the roll. It shall be lawful for the claimant by writing to withdraw claim. If within ten days after proof shall be required as aforesaid the claimant shall fail to satisfy the Registrar that his claim is valid, and shall fail to withdraw his claim, the Registrar shall, as soon as conveniently may be thereafter, apply to a Resident Magistrate or a Justice of the Peace for a summons." It will be seen by the above that the whole onus is placed on the Registrar instead of on the claimant. By this clause it is competent for any bogus claim to be sent in through the post, and the Registrar, having no means of detecting deception, has no alternative but to place the name on the roll. If, however, he is not satisfied, and applies, necessarily by letter, for further information, and that information not being forthcoming, as in a bogus

::aira it certainly would not, the Regisrarhaßto npply to a magistrate fora ■•-•romons. Whnt then is the conse- ? No summons can 'if >erved. \ >>n the other hand, the R'-gi t.-.,. nuld not be suspicious of the bmia fidf ■Hire of the claim, be would mako no -nquiry, and the name would be put on *>c roll, and would remain there, whether -ogus or not. Now, if it should be a oogusname, the Registrar, or any elector objecting to the continuance of that bogus name on the roll, has to send a registered objection to the supposed person whose name is objected to, setting forth the ground of objection. The objection, of course, would never reach its destination, both the name and the address being T "alse. A summons has then to be apolied for and issued, the service of it, however, being impossible. The name,' although known to be bogus, remains on tbe roll. !there being no power delegated to anyone under the Act except by the impossible means <et forth. The Act is full of defects Mr S. Y. Collins has pointed out reoeatedly the nature of many of these defects, and has suggested in what manner the Act can be improved. He has strongly objected to an elector of tbe district having authority to take a claimant's declaration, believing that it is tbe means principally made use of for stuffing the rolls. Tbe purity of the rolls would be materially aided if they were allowed periodically to lapse, so that all unknown absentees and dead oersona names in centres of population could be eot rid of. New rolls should be prepared before or after every fresh general election.