The Hawke's Bay Times. Published every Monday and Thursday. NAPIER, THURSDAY, 1ST FEBRUARY, 1866. REGISTERS! REGISTER!!

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 346, 1 February 1866, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times. Published every Monday and Thursday.

NAPIER, THURSDAY, IST FEBRUARY, 1866. REGISTERS! REGISTER!!

** NULLIUS ADDICTUS JT7BAEE IN VEB.BA MAGISTHI, ,>

Pending the dissolution of the House of Eepresentatives, and the issue of the writs for the new elections, there is something of a lull in the political atmosphere of the Colony, and especially so in our own Province, where the electors, on both general and provincial matters, seem to have fallen into a state bordering upon lethargy. To some who dislike the excitement often attendant on the discussion of political questions, this state of things may be eminently satisfactory ; and, perhaps, it may be but the reaction of repose after a period of exhaustion, to be followed by a more vigorous prosecution of duty when the body politic shall awake. If so, all is as it should be. The attention of the public has also been diverted from its more immediate concerns by the progress of the Colonial forces in the work of suppressing the rebellion ; and it cannot be doubted that this is a subject that deserves all the consideration that has been given to it; and if we see room for cavilling at much that has been mismanged or left undone in this direction, still it must be owned that progress has been made, and that the past few months compare favorably with any like period of time since the commencement of tbe strife.

But there is one subject that neither a dislike to political agitation—a feeling of weariness from past activity—nor other interesting and important matters should be permitted to divert our attention from at this time, and that subject is the state of cur Electoral Roll. It must be borne in mind that, from a gross imperfection in the law on this matter, there is only a short period ia each year—the first three months—during which qualified persons can be allowed to enter their claims to the electoral privilege, and of that short period not less than one third portion has already slipped away; and there is this danger attending the state of political apathy in which we now find the public,—it is likely to act in the way of keeping many qualified persons off the roll, from a failure to appreciate the importance of the privilege, and which will be a source of regret when too late to be remedied. The questions to be brought before the next Assembly, involving, as they do, many of the most important points of the constitution, and which will be found to come home to the interests of each and all, should serve

as a lesson to the non-electoral the desirability of possessing a voice in deciding questions which so intimately affect them, and their being precluded from the exercise of the privilege, as a warning against longer neglect. Dull indeed must be that person who, taxed perhaps to a greater extent than is exampled in any other part of Her Majesty’s dominions, cannot see the need of his being able to exert his influence, however feeble, in the effort to send the "right men to conduct the affairs of the Colony. As we have observed, the law on the subject of registration is most defective (albeit greatly improved over what it once was) in that it limits the period for making new claims to the first three months in each year, and insists on the literal accuracy of a certain form in which the claims are to be made - —the omission of a single word from the said form having bad the effect of disfranchising the whole of the new claims made not long since. It is to be hoped that some improvement will be made in these matters during the next Assembly, so as to allow of qualified persons making or amending their claims at any time, and giving, more facility than at present in the matter. But at present the law must be obeyed as it stands; and we trust that but few of the householders of Hawke’s Bay, who are are not already on the rolls, will permit the months of February and March to pass without obtaining the privileges conferred by the Constitution, and possessing themselves of the electoral franchise.