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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3659, 6 April 1883, Page 2

The elections Avhich are shortly to be held for the different Road Boards of the colony Avill be held under the provisions of the Local Elections Act. In accordance with clause 44 of the Road Boards Act, 1882, the date of election in the Hawke's Bay County has been fixed for May 5, and avc presume the County Council will shortly notify the date of nomination. Nominations must be Avrittcn and signed by the candidate and two duly qualified electors. There is a provision in the Act for another form of election, differing to some extent from that prescribed by the Local Elections Act. The difference is this: in the Local Elections Act the election is on the ballot system; in the other the nominations are the same, but the election takes place at a meeting of ratepayers in the most open manner possible. AYe notice that at least one Road Board in this county, and tAvo in the AVaipaAva county, have given notice that they Avill on a certain day pass a resolution enabling them to dispense with the ballot, but it does not appear that they have initiated the question early enough to affect tho coming elections. Clause 31 provides that elections shall be held in the first week in May, and in this county notice has been giA-en accordingly. Clauses 48 and 49 provide for the other form of A-otiug, but it must _be adopted in accordance Avith a resolution Avhich has been publicly notified once during each of the four Aveeks immediately preceding the meeting of the Board at which it is considered The resolution has then to be forwarded to the Colonial Secretary, and inserted by him in the Gazette, and it has no legal force until so gazetted. After the special order is passed and gazetted, it is the duty of the returning officer to give twenty-one days notice that the election Avill be held in that manner. As the date of the election is finally fixed to take place within the first Aveek of May it is impossible to bring the form of election into operation this year. Iv order to affect the coming elections it Avould have been necessary to have commenced proceedings long ago. The Hastings Board gives tAventy-onc days notice instead of four Aveeks; but, even supposing that it could be argued that this avus legally right, the elections could not possibly be held before the first Aveek in June, as the time occupied in getting tho resolution gazetted and the tAventy-onc days notice proA'idcd by clause 49 Avoulcl make an earlier date impossible. The ballot has long been in use in Corporation elections as Avell as general elections, and has Avorkcd satisfactorily, and there is no reason for thinking that it would not suit Road Boards.