THE BURGESS ROLL.

Kumara Times, Issue 921, 12 September 1879, Page 2

THE BURGESS ROLL.

[to THE EDITOR;] Sir—ln your p iper of the Gill Ailgust tile following statement appeared : We regret to learn that the whole of the burgesses not iiU'l'.ided in last year’s , electo-al roll in this town have been disfranchised through the Burgess 801 l of this Borough being rejected by the Revising Officer, in consequence of informalities ih the Burgess List as prepared by the Town ,Clerk.” I immediately wrote to you statirlg that the infoi illations was new to me as I had never heard a wuid about my list being rejected; and that T had pre- - pared the list in accords lice with the Act. A the statement published by you has caused great injury and annoyance t»> me, I have the honor to request that you will publish the annexed ooiiespondenoe in exhjnso, l . as it shows tliak I beeii in no wise td blame ;iml may lend to remove the wrong impression caused I»y your 'statement, and show the necessity of a revision of th.e Electoral Liws.—l have, Ac., James Wvt.de, Town Clerk. Kuinara, Bth September, 1879. To J. Giles, Ksq , Registration Officer, Hokitika. Sir—Having just heard that the List of Ratepayers sent by rne to you on the Ist April last was disallowed, from some informality, I have the honor to request that' you.will let me know in what manner it was’informal,, and also that you will let me know if it is now in your possession.—l have, * Ac., James Wylde. Knrnara, 9th August, 1879. The Towx Clerk, Kumara. . Sir— I have the honor to acknowlege the receipts of your lefter of the 9th insr.. enquiring whether the likt of ratepayers sent by yon on 2nd April last was disallowed for informality, ami .. if so, what was the nature of the in-

hn'utoUi.v. In reply I have to inform you fhat th'e only list sent by yon was rejected' by the Revising Officer as not being in accordance with the provisions of the '•" Registration of Electors Act,' 1875." I did- not hear the Revising Officer's reasons, but the list was' obviously informal. It did not etert purport to be a list of persons who had makie payment of rates as required by ~ section 3 of the Act, nor wasit countersigned by the Mayor. It was simply the Burgess Roll of the Borough: of lYuumra with a good many names struck out. and nothing to shew why they were .struck out, or why the others were left standing. Your list, with the other papers has'' gone to Wellington.—l have tfcc, ; J. Giles, Registration Officer. Hokitika August 12th, 1879. To Dr. Giles, Registration Officer, •Hokitika. Sir—l beg to thank you for your letter of the 12th iast., in reply to' mine of the 9th. At the same time I think you are in error in the remarks you make about the list sent to you by me on the Ist April, as that list was certainly countersigned by the Mayor, and purported, by its heading to be " prepared in accordance with section 3 of the ' Registration of Electors 'Act, 1875.' " Js it not possible that you have refeired to some incomplete copy of my list ?•—1 have, ifc •., . James Wylde,,. Town Clerk. 14th August, 1879. . The Tow;n Clerk, Kumara. • Sir—l have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th inst. with reference to the- reje'ote'd list of Kumara ratepayers. I only professed to give you my belief as to the cause of its rejection by the Revising Officer, and I still think' my account of it is correct; but an application by you 1 to the Colonial Secretary, to whom the papers are always sent, j, would doubtless enable you to get information as' to" the and working of the list. I may point out "that it would be quite possible for the list to profess on its face to be in accordance with the requirements of a certain Act, and yet really to be not at all in accordance with them.—l have ifcc-., J. Giles, ■ Returning Officer.' Hokitika August 15th, 1579.

To James Wylde, Ksu\; Town Clerk, Knmara. Sir—-T- nave the honor to .acknowledge tb.e receipt of your letter, of the Undated number and date Cpioted in the ni.-irnin, and in compliance with t]\v request contained t.he>ei.u an directed t<> forward to yriii herewith a copy of tlie list, forwarded by you to the Revising Officer in Apri-I-last, in accordance with section 3 of the ■' Registration, of Electors Act 1875."—1 have itc, .. , . {j-. S: Cooper. Colonial Seeretiiry's Office,Wellington, SGt-H August, 1879. To Dr. Giles, Registration Officer, Hokitika. Sir—l have Uie. honor tri inforrii ydii that in consequence of the suggestion contained in your letter of the 15th August, [applied to the Colonial Secretary f.r a copy of the list which I sent tn you on the Ist April last, and that, I have to-day received tlie copy from him. The list proves to he entirely in accordance with l.he Aet. The hes'.dirl* states that it. is "Prepared iii accordance wish y (jijt ; o:i-3 -f the " % : 6n of El coi s Act 1879." It is signed by the Mayor well as by myself (as "Clerk appointed u.ider the ' Registration of Electors Act, 1875"'), and it fstates >tliat " the nam s crossed out are those of women and defaulters." The Act provides that the list should lie forwarded in the Registration Officer on or before the 7th April. I sent my list to you on the Ist April, in order that it there wa , in your opinion, any informality in it you might liave ample time to call my attention to it; but, instead of doing so, you applied to ire on the 10th April for a copy of the list, thus lead m'e ti suppose that yoii./iccep'ed it tl> eo'ivct. ; TV Act provides th>t the lists shall be accepted and dealt with ns "Claims to be inserted on the List of V"ters for the di-tiict;" as effectually as if the same had been made in the form pretcribtd by the " Regi-tra tiou of Klectois Act, 1866,'' ami therefore, if the claims were objected t <,-public notice should have lieeii given of the objections, in wlrch case th" parties themselves, or I on t.lmii- behalf, could have attended the Revision Court; and have sustained the c'aims. Clause 54 -f the ".Registration of Electors' Act, 186 G," provides that "No hiisiionier or inaccurate description of any person, place, or thing named or described in any list of voters or electoral roll, or in any notice required by lids Act shall in any wise prevent or abridge the opi ration of this Act with }espect to such person, place, or thing, provided that such person, place, or thing- shall be so designated in such list, roil, or notice as to be commonly understood." Th's shows c'eavly the intention of the Legi-latnre that persons shall not b> deprived of the franchise on any slight technical «r.'imds. The Act of 1875 provides that the Clerk fall 'II compile an alphabetical list of persons being males of 21 ye.;srs and upwards who shall have been Assessed and shall have made payment of any rate struck by such governing body in reipect of. rateable property situate in an electoral district, within the year fcudifg on the 30-h of March instant. No provision is made for stating the qualifications of the persons; but it is evident that a mere list of names, without giving the qualincitious required 1.-y the 7<ii section of the Constitution Act, would be useless; mid the rejection of xvy list because such information was given would be absurd. I cannot suppose that it was ie;ec:eil tin that account, especially as I hold a letter from the clerk to the Jiegi, tra Hon Officer- dated 30th March, 1878, stating that the list should contain, the qualifications. Up to the pre. ent moment I am in perfect ignorance of any reason why my list should have, been rejected, as ift-ntioned by you are. proved to have no existence, and I shall be at a loss as to lr>w I should prepare the lL;t i'or next year. ;I h«v«r written this fully, and I shall take" trie" liberty of publisliin"- this correspondence because the matter is of g'eat public importance, ns the, public should he placed in a position to form an aeonrate opinion on it.—l have &c. '&# Jam£S Wylbe. Jffe September, 1879. To James Wyld* Esq., Town Clerk, Kuruara. SlK—I have the honor to acknow. ledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, in which you argue at some length' that the list of ratepayer* forwarded by yon was not informal and ou»ht not to be rejected, and in which y hi further state that you intend to publish the correspondence between yourself and me upon the sul ject;

111 tliorffi circumstances yOU will pe:~ Inps excuse rny writing any more upon this question a! present, except to say that the acceptance or njection of your list did not lie with nii>, l.ut. with the .Revising Officer, and that 1 did not, as you seem to .suppose, niak>! any objection to it. I am not therefore concerned in tin; Question whether the reasons why the list was rejected, are good or bad, correct or incorrect. I sliail be very happy to discuss with you at any time any questions that may arise respecting the registration of electors, should the present confused state of the law relating to the subject not be sooner remedied.—l have &c, ~ .. J. Giles. Hokitika 9th Sept., 1879.