THE ELECTORAL ROLLS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3245, 24 November 1881, Page 2

THE ELECTORAL ROLLS.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegraph.] Sir, —Kindly permit me to draw your attention to the " local" in yesterday's issue referring to the striking off the roll of many Norsewood settlers, as your paragraph does not represent the question fairly. You say, " There is wailing in the camp of the Scandinavians. Fiftythree North countrymen, whose names were on the electoral roll, find themselves out in the cold under the new rolls. They say that they are naturalized, and that they are freeholders. We would remind them, however, that the onus of proof of naturalization rests with themselves ; the bare assertion goes for nothing." Yoa have evidently overlooked the clauses in the Registration of Electors Act, 1879, bearing upon this question. Clause six provides that the Registrar shall place upon the new roll all the names on the existing roll, but clause eighteen qualifies this by directing that, in the event of objections being raised to the retention of any name, then the person objected to must receive notice in writing in conformity with schedule four, specifying the grounds for objection. As the men referred to were on the electoral roll for 1878, the late Registrar was duly bound to place them on the new roll; but if he or any elector objected to their retention on the roll, they had to receive due notice in writing. This notice has at least in ten cases very recently come to my knowledge (there are probably a great many more) never been received, and these men have therefore been struck off contrary to law. The cases referred to are deserving of the sympathy of every elector, as these ten men have taken up land on deferred payment some eight years ago, have since then paid for their land in full, have all been naturalised some six years ago, and have never left their district; they possess, therefore, not only the freehold but residential qualification. The matter has been brought a few days ago under the notice of the authorities, with the view to get the names reinstated on the roll, as Parliament, in passing the Act, can never have contemplated the possibility of having a large number of men disfranchised by a mere bungle of a Registrar. True, the Act provides a penalty ot £20 for breaches in the administration of the Act by the Registrar, but it would be poor consolation to my Norsewood friends to have the late Registrar fined while they remain disfranchised.—l am, &c, Charles Weber. Napier, 23rd November, 1881.