The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, December 22, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1339, 22 December 1914, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, December 22, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Undhk the amending legislation of the legislature Amendment Act of last session (section ' 18) the pampered elector was granted a new privilege. By this section an elector entitled to vote, and who voted at the last election, who hods that his name does not appear on the roll may, by making a statutory declaration before the Deputy Returning Officer, obtain the title to vote as though his name appeared on the roll in the ordinary way. The form of the declaration safeguards against any illegitimate use of the privilege. Now it is alleged on very substantial authority, says the Post, that this section has been abused both in a positive and in a negative sense. In several electorates people who applied to be allowed to vote under this section, and who were fully qualified and entitled to take advantage of this beneficent provision, were, it is stated, refused the right. In a positive sense, it is asserted, the law was abused by people who had no business to receive a vote by this channel, but who none the less made the declaration and exercised the vote obtained thereby. The discovery of instances of illegality, it is claimed, is deemed quite sufficient to justify a more searching investigation, and this may further prolong the suspense before the state ot parties and the true political position can be accurately defined.