ELECTORAL REFORM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 69, 20 March 1880, Page 1

ELECTORAL REFORM.

la an artiole on the " Registration 'of Electors Act" the Press says : — ! Instead of giving the people honest, efficient, and economical government, which would have materially aided the general welfare, but would have required some self-denial and attention to business, the Liberal party offered them electoral reform, which costs nothing and is worth precious little. Whilst Ministers were squandering ; millions upon objects which do not [ benefit the people at all, they flattered - them into the conviction that they

were about to confer vast favors iipon them in the shape of liberal measures. The public were completely 4aken ;i in, of coarse, by the very impudence of ;ibe trick, and really believed that they were about to benefit; in nomja " .mysterrus manner, ( by the extension of the franchiße.andJhe? establishogent of triennialt -. , Parliaments. ; They •, have pretty well got over that delusion now, though. ; They see that to confer. new political i rigbtß> on the, people of a coubtry situated as New Zealand is, while neglecting other and far more important questions, resembles giving lace r.offles to:a man without a shirt. The present-Ministry, no doubt, discerned thja quite clearly. ..They said in effect to the noisy . people who were clamoring for electoral reform, "You have been taught to believe that* lace ruffles will keep out the cold and make you comfortable Here take them and amuse yourselves with them 'while we make good warm shirts for you out of the remnants of materials your friends have left." The lace ruffles have ceaeed to amuse, however, before the shirts can be finished ever so scantily. What do people now bare" about electoral reform ? Half of them apparently do not even know whether there is any electoral reform or not. The very measures which were i : passed last session in response to the popular clamor are already rogarded with indifference, and not one man in fifty, probably, has taken the trouble to in- ; quire what their provisions are. A few >of the newspapers have endeavorei recently to strike a spark of. interest out of the new electoral system j but these efforts have not met with much recognition. * * ■••■■'•.' ■_•->**-' * As we have said,., the striking fact in connection with this form ' 'business is th 4 apathy displayed from one end of the colony to. the other , regarding if. VV.e have now Measures': under which every man in New Zealand who has complied with a few small conditions can have bis name on the roll if he wishes. Yet the' first.; effict of the change will almost certainly ..fee a reduction in the number of registered electors. Under the Registration Act the Registrars are required .forth' with to compile new'rolls by placing^ upon them (he names. of all qualified persons registered on the existing rolls, and striking off the names of all who are not qualified. Bur,, na oir readers know, the qualification has bean altered in sonn very important particulars. Only freeholders and residents within the meaning of the Act are qualified to vot,p. No residential electors or., freeholders under £50, 08 such,, are registered on the existing rolls.. t \ The question, therefore, arises, Will the Registrars in making up the new rolls place upon them only the namaa of freeholders of £50 ? Tae depends, wo think, on the , interpretation of the words: — Pface on the rolls " the names of all persons who are qualified in such district to vote for members of the fid us 9 of Representatives, and who are oa tbd roll of any electoral district in force at the* time of the commencement of the Act." To our mind the , clause means that the Rogistrur is to retain on the existing ones thoae whom they know to be qiialifia J either aa freeholders or as residents. But whatever be the interpretation put upon the wards of; tag, section k is at any rate the, duty of the Registrar, as soon as. the first rolls are made up, to make the.m as compete as possible, and " with .that object from time to time to place thereon, j6r add thereto the names of ev^ery person of . whose qualification as an ;., elector he is satisfied." Therefore, if he considers it necessary in the first instance to retain on the new roll the names only, of those whose qualification is correctly., stated on the old roll, it ia his duty; to commence adding to, it at once by; placing on it the names, of all thoee of whose ; qualification be ia aatiafiod. . The extent to which he was able to ;do thia . would depend of course, upon his knowledge, of the people. But. it wilt undoubtedly be necessary in namsrous cases to send in fresh claims ; and we know by experience how negligent people are in that respact, . even when they can easily comply with the requirements of. the law, and also how many find a difficulty ia obtaining and properly filling in olaims to vote. numberless instances, we have no doubt, electors of ma ay years standing

0 will' lose /thbir.'vote for a : time, simply from 'ignorance tfcf • the necessity Sol 1 ! registering afreifh. Others will lose U 1 frPft9ißh6er indifference. 'It remains to be -been how taany of l the *' seventy the v ! j (*and n will t^ke advantage of the rigbft ' tfrbich haa now been extended to them ' ftnd'get'theirnameßon theroll. Ataby rate we are aiiti«fi<jd that the aOttial - n umber l «f registered ' ulectors will 'be ■■lee'B 1 fo^ tome lime to come than %fas 'the '^686 befbro the liberal : me'ttsufee ' k^re passed. : '