Clean Rolls.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 March 1922, Page 1

Clean Rolls.

REVISION COMMENCING

WELLINGTON. Feb. 27

Tlio Prime 'Minister, ns Minister in charge of the Electoral Department, has put in hand the revision of the electoral rolls in anticipation of the General Election. The process followed on the Inst occasion will ilie repeated, the Postal Department lieiiig utilised for checking the lists bv its delivery system. Although Mr Massey hap expressed personal approval of the system of compulsory registration of electors no attempt will ho made to introduce it at present, as the revision of the rolls cannot wait until Parliament has passed the legislation which would be necessary to bring about this important change. An effort is being made to liring prominently before the public the value of proportional representation as a method of .avoiding minority representation. Proportions lists in New Zealand have agreed on the lines of a suitable measure for New Zealand conditions, and its principles are embodied in a Bill introduced last session iby Mr,j .T. M’Oombs. The measure was not discussed. It has evidently been drafted with great care, for it endeavours to overcome Ue difficulty which proportionnlists formerly experienced in maintaining the principle of the country quota. This has been overcome by a special grouping of constituencies so as to give the existing constituencies exactly the same number of memlwrs as they return at present. ; A nother difficulty with this voting reform, that of filling casual vacancies, lias been met by a proposal in the Bill that, on a vacancy arising the ballot papers used at the previous General Election shall be examined, and the next candidate who polls the quota, declared elected.