THE VOTES OF ALIENS.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 766, 15 December 1870, Page 2

THE VOTES OF ALIENS.

[to the fi»iT6tt.J Sir — I have read carefully your leading article in this morning's paper referring.to , the votes of aliens having been refused at. the recent elections, for I^aroa.. 'With xnb t of the i^eaartnin^f which you , put 'forward to show that the votes of j aliens should be allowed to be taken in j Wtjstland, I agree, hnt that they arejso, allowed by the existing law I must say that I still entertain doubts when I read as follows in ; "The County of Westland Aofc ; Amendment Act, 1870" :—" Section VII: lii aMition to the questions which hiay be put to any voter upon any election,, as in the 40th section of the,' Regulationof Elections Acfc, 1870,' provided for,' there may be pujb,tc( any elector," &c the fallowing; questions/ and so on.;, Now <; one of the (jueßtiions^ provided inihe.'^Qtn '„

section referred 'to is as iollows : — "4, Are you a natural , born or naturalised su tjiat of her Majesty, Queen Yictona ?'■ and section 42 provided that if this ques» tion be nut answered in the afiirmatiyq the vote shall be refuaed." WitTi these" instructions in the Act for hi 9 guidance, I do not see how a Returning Officer, | when a person whom he believed to be a foreigner chiimed to vote,- could dorotherv. wise than put the question, more especially if the scrutineer requested him to do so, and refused the .claimif ,ans.weEedL l in_the i .negative, , It j was Section VII, therefore, on which T or , one relied in ref using, the. votes 1 of aliens, not Section IXJ ' a* conjee.tured^by you. ;v ' ' ; ' ', i., I".';'":';''1 ".';'":';'' "l T .C". '.' ' ' : Tours, ;&c.,' , r \ A I)bp.dty Return ipid Officer; ..[ We;. refer our correspondent tO/ the opinion of.the Attorney-General, published in another column. — Ep.j .■