PAROA DISTRICT.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1720, 7 February 1874, Page 2

PAROA DISTRICT.

[FROM OTTB. OWN CORRESPbinjBNT.J . February 4. The election of J$ Superintendent for the Province of Westland showed only too clearly that -tins district is virtually disfranchised, and; unless other step 3 are taken to; secure -the .registration] of the electors . than is now adopted iifis to be feared that only a small percentage will be found to be benefited by: being on the rolls. This district is very ex^pfesive, embracing all the chief miningi-centres south, of the River. Grey,, and.northof the Teremakau, and, unfortunately, there arej very few registered , electors, now, so that the difficulty lies in getting' ap plica tions properly! witnessed by a registered voter. To distribute forms of registration is all very well, but'there.'. require^ something more to be done rto secure ja,ny thing like success.. A proper qualified elector should be sent round to. take ; the* nanjes,. and as this work' would only have to be> done once it would not be very expensive,, .besides many men -would contribute a. small sum; in fact^ there-ought to be 600 fresh registered electors ' in 'this district,; and each contributing the smallest coin current on the coast would, jsuffice to pay all necessary .expenses. If this course should be found: impracticable, it has been suggested that the Grey Valley Progress Committee -might cause to be published the names of all; qualified voters ' that are now in the district, so that every one may know to whom ; to t apply to witness his signature. ; It is all. important that active steps should b.e, no'w ( taken in this, matter when men's; mind. a.'^are yet alive to so desirable apositipn as having their names on the ; rolls, for there is no telling when they < may. rbe. called on to > exercise, their franchise. ■ Now is. the time to register, arid hundreds Mil do so if they can only manage to get their signatures witnessed. '■' : ■"■ > i)»L: Another very important duty devolves on somebody, and that is the naturalisation of foreigners- here.- Again 1 there' is a large body of { .colonists who aredisfranchised because there a 4 re certain forms to ,be' igone through ~wliich hav«j. either been overlooked or neglected.. Much annoyance iwas A expressed at the> recent elections that they were prohibited from voting? l -When it as considered that > there must be upwards of 300 foreigners'in"tins district? it' will ! be ! apparent thatqmetjhing ought to be done to place them in the proper position as colonists, so that combined with a, proper^ registration ot eleotors this dis'trioi will : oe able I*.

exercise its rights in any future election that may occur. It is to be hoped that although there may be some little trouble in electors getting their names properly attested that it is their duty to do everything they possibly can to register, aed not depend on others altogether. However beneficial it might be to have a systematic registration throughout the district, the mining in^ terest in Paroa demands that every miner should register his name as an elector to qualify him to vote at any future election, and he must lose no time in doing so.