The Nelson Evening Mail SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1868.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 9, 11 January 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1868.

The election to the vacant Governorships of Nelson Collpge m.vv now be considered to have been decided, Taknka being the only district; from which returns h-ve rot been received. We learn, however, from a private source, tluit the nquisife voting papeis did not reach that district previous to the polling d;iy, and that, no •votes could therefore be tiiken. Takaka must conseque t!y, li!;e Wjtkefield(l»utfor a more justifiable reason), figure on the election list ns a blank. The success' ul candidates are, theielbre, Morsis N. Edward?, J. Sharp, T. Brunner, and Donald Sinclair. Before dismissing this subject we would observe that considerable misunderstanding prevails in this community with reference to the qualifications required in voters for elections under the Nelson Trust Funds Act. It lias come to our knowledge that many persons were under the impression that, because their names w4re upon the Electoral Roll of the Province, they were therefore entitled to vote at the late election, the fact being that it is imperatively necessary for this purpose that they should be especially qualified under the provisions of the Nelson Trust Funds Act. It may not therefore be amiss to state what these qualifications really are, and our readers may thank us fcr recapitulating them. Voters under the Act must be owners and occupiers of land actually residing in the province of Nelson ; every owner of land of the value of £100 sterling, or of the anuual rental of £15, is entitled to one vote, whilst owners of land to the value of £500, or of the annual rental of £50, are entitled to two votes, and owners of land of the value of £1000, or of the annual rental of £100 and upwards are entitled to three votes, this being the maximum number of votes fo which any one individual is entitled. In addition to these qualifications, every occupier of land paying a rent of not less than £15 per annum, is entitled to one vote; aud of not less than £50 and upwards, to two votes, which is the maximum. It is also especially provided that, no person shall be entitled to record bis vote in any election under the Act in the double capacity of owner and occupier. It is needless to specify how materially these qualifications differ from those required in a voter under the Electoral Roll of the province. There is yet another subject in connection with the late election for the College Governorships, to which we would briefly draw attention. We allude to the gross anomaly of allowing a roll to be recognised, as an authority on these occasions such as the listing Electoral Roll under the Nelson Trust Funds Act. This Roll was compile;! in tin-ytu' 1864-5, and has never since been revised. The cousequeuce is that it abounds with errors; many of those ■whose names atill figure upon it are deed,

or have left the province ; in other cases it is notorious that the electors are erroneously described, or that the houses which conferred votes have been destroyed years ago, and in more than one instance the same property gives a qualification to two or more individuals. >Ye need not expatiate on the abuses to which such a state of things must inevitably give rise, and we would urge the necessiiy of an immediate revision of the Trust Funds Electoral Roll, since, in its preseut state, it would be simply ridiculous to regard it as a true and correct list of the electors. As no other roll has been published since 1864, it follows that many of those who would otherwise be eutitled to vote, are thus debarred from exercising that privilege, and this fact still fun her excites our wonder that so strange an anomaly should have been permitted so long to exist unexposed and unconnected.