Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 1897. A Curious Mistake.

Manawatu Herald, 16 February 1897, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 1897. A Curious Mistake.

I Someone has blundered, but who, remains to be seen. It 13 well known that next month the electors of the Colony will have an election to face to secure representatives on the Licensing Committees. It ia known that licensing districts are coterminous with electoral districts, and therefore where changes had been made in such electoral districts a ' new order of rn i oga ha( j t0 ' be a rouged for the new licensing districts, such as appointing which of uhe local governing bodies should have control over the licensing business. About ten days ago our Mayor received a printed notification ila which, under the hand of the Governor, local bodies Were nominated to "make all necessary appointments, and to do all things required for the conduot of elections, or taking of a poll of electors, and to have the general administration of the Licensing Acts within such licensing districts respectively." The Foxton Borough Council was named as the particular local body upon whose rimy it Ml to do th^cp thinss for the Manawatu Licensing District. To make the appointment, quickly was urgent, a 9 there remained but little time for the Returning Officer !jo get to work. Tbe Borough Council, at a special meeting, appointed the Town Clerk to do all these things, and so notified the Colonial Secretary, and at the same time innde enquiries as to polling places, &c, and in reply received a letter dated 6th February enclosing a copy of a circular which it was stated had been sent to all Returning Officers. There was no guide as to any appointments having been made without reference to the Council until a telegram was received by the Mayor from Mr A. Simpson, the Returning Officer for the general election, stating that he could not recognise the Town Clerk's notice that he was the Returning Officer, as he had already received his appointment at tbe end of January from the Colonial Secretary, and was far advanced in his work. Following this a telegram was received from the Colonial Beoretary's' office stating that Mr Simpson had been appointed Returning Officer on the date he had mentioned. The curious part of the whole business is, how came the Colonial Secretary to appoint the Returning Officers for tbe licensing election when Beetion 0 of " The Alcoholic Liquors Bale Control Act 1898," distinctly states that the Governor shall appoint certain local bodies to administer the Aot, and they shall «• be deemed to have authority throughout the licensing district, and which shall make all necessary appointments and do all things required for the oonduct of elections, or tbe taking of a poll of electors and for the administration of the Licensing Acts within the licensing district." To show chat this is also the impression of the department, we refer to the circular appointing local bodies to administer the Aot, which is dated the 22nd of January, and which uses the same language as is used in the above section. The Borough Council had no choice as to tbe directions therein given them, and nearly every other local body in receipt of this circular has acted similarly, the Palmerston Borough Council appointed their Town C erk and so on. We understand from the Mayor that personally he has no objection to Mr Simpson being the Returning Officer, and from the experience of tbe late election he can. no doubt, undertake this duty with less trouble to himself than one new to the work, but tbe query arises, how does he become Returning Officer? The Aots are clear that the licensing elections are to be conducted by a local body appointed by the Governor, and our local body has not appointed Mr Simpson. We cannot but think that the simplest way out of a difficulty would be for the Colonial Secretary to gee the local bodies to cancel the appointments they have made, and make the Returning Officers at the late general election the Beturning Officers for the lioensing elections. It is clear that the Borough Council is not to blame, and it would be well if some explanation of this dual control was given.