THE ELECTORAL BILL,

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 1030, 24 October 1903, Page 3

THE ELECTORAL BILL,

(Special .Government Message to Times.)

WELLINGTON, last night. The following is the Electoral Aci Amendment Bill After giving power for the appoint ment of electoral officers, the clause: continue

4. The Colonial Secretary, shall from time to time, whenever, accessary, by notice in the Gazette, fix a date for closing the general roll ■in every district, after which date no names shall be added to the general roll other than those of persons whose claims for enrolment have been sent in to the registrar before the date fixed.

5. With respect to every claim for enrolment made before the date fixed for the closing of the general roll, the following provisions shall apply: (a) As soon as the registrar is satisfied that a claim is valid, and that the claimant is entitled to he enrolled, he shall mark the claim as approved, and shall place the name of the claimant on the roll.

(b) On receipt of a claim by trans-

fer from another district (herein referred to as “ The original district ”), the registrar, after enquiry

as to the validity of the claim as in the case of the original claim, shall, if satisfied, mark claim 'as approved, and shall thereupon remove the claimant’s name from the roll of the original district, and place it on the ,roll of the district to which the claimant is transferred.

6. As soon as practicable after the closing of the general roll, the chief electoral officer shall cause a general roll to bo printed for every district, containing the names (numbered consecutively in alphabetical order) ol every person whose name is lawfully on the roll of the district, together with the names of those persons whose claims for enrolments have been approved by the registrar of that district.

(2) Such general roll shall be

form numbered 1 in the first schedule hereto, and shall be signed by the chief electoral officer, and with respect to every claim for enrolment made after, the closing of the general roll and before the issue of the writ at any election, the following provisions shall apply (a) As soon as the registrar is sa-

tisfied that the claim is valid and that the claimant is entitled to be enrolled, he shall mark the claim as ’approved and shall enter the name of the claimant on the mentary roll. (b) On receipt of a claim by transfer, the registrar, after inquiry as to validity of claim, shall, if satisfied, mark claim as approved, and shajl place name of claimant on the supplementary roll. (Following clauses provide for precaution as to validity of claims, and to ensure that none are missed).

Every employer of labor shall afford to each of his employees a reasonable opportunity of enrolling his name on the electoral roll of his district, and of recording his vote at 'any election, provided that it shall not be obligatory for the employer to close his premises during usual working hours, or any part thereof, on the day of any election ; ,(2) evory person who commits a breach of this section is liable in respect oE every employee to a line not exceeding £5. The amount of deposit requ red by section 100 of tlje principal Act to be made by or on behalf of a candidate shall bc_£2o in lieu of £lO, and the proportion of votes required by the same section to be polled 'for any unsuccessful candidate to avoid forfeiture of such deposit shall be' one-fourth (in lieu of one-tenth) of number of votes polled by successful candidate. (The ordinary provisions are then made as to ballot-papers, also for a person absent from his or her own district recording a vote for that district. Provision is made for a second poll in case of a candidate not receiving an- absolute majority.) Members representing the Maori electoral districts shall be elected in the manner prescribed by Part 11. of the principal Act, and subject to the provisions of sections 168 to 172 thereof. AH provisions of that Act shall mutatis mutandis apply to such members and to electors of arid elections in such electoral districts. 2. The Governor may make such appointments and regulations as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of the section at the next general election and at every subsequent election in any such dist, triet. In addition to events on happening of which the seat of any member becomes vacant under section 21 of the principal Act, it is hereby declared that such seats shall become vacant if the member becomes contractor or Civil servant as respectively defined by section 15 of the same Act and provisions thereof, whose seat has become vacant under this section. Every person is liable to a fine not exceeding £2O who, having obtained possession of a claim for enrolment signed by some other person, for the purpose of being delivered to the registrar for enrolment, fails so to do, and thereby claimants’ names arc not placed on the Every person is 1 able to a ‘fine not exceeding £2O who, at an election (a) in any way interferes with any elector cither in the pollingbooth “or while on his way there with the intention of influencing him or advising him as to his vote or (b) prints or distributes or delivers to any person on the day of the poll or at any time during three days preceding the poll, anything being or purporting to be an imitation ot any. ballot-paper to be used at the poll or having thereon names of candidates, together with_any direction or indication as tQ how any person should vote, or in any way containing any such direction or indication, or (c) during the hours in which the poll is being taken, makes any public demonstration having 'reference to the .poll by means of living figures, efiigies, paintings, placards, or other like means, or (“) obtains possession of any ballotpaper other than the one given him by the returning-officer for the purpose of recording his vote, or retains any ballot-paper in his possession after leaving the polling-booth. The principal Act is consequentially amended to meet the new provision.