ANOTHER FLAW IN THE REPRESENTATION ACT.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2672, 12 October 1881, Page 3

ANOTHER FLAW IN THE REPRESENTATION ACT.

SECOND EDITION

The Wellington correspondent of the “Lyttelton Times” telegraphs to that journal as follows : It has just transpired that there is a flaw in the Representation Act, which may cause some difficulty in connection with the General Election. Ihe Fifth Section provides that within 30 days after the coming into operation of the Act the Registrar of each Electoral District shall form a new roll, “in the ■manner provided bv the Registration of Electors Act, 1879." But there is nothing said about iho printing of the new rolls. Now, the Registration Act of 1879 savs, in Section 30, that the first roll of any district shall be printed at the expiration of four months after it is formed. The question has been raised —Can a Registrar print the roll before the expiration of four months ? If he cannot, then it would appear necessary to put off the new elections till March, the rolls being printed about the middle of February. The question raised is an important one, and unless the difficulty can be satisfactorily overcome, serious complications will arise. The matter has been brought under the notice of the Government, and I believe they •will ignore the objectionable clause in the Registration Act, and have the rolls printed without unnecessary delay, as originally intended. Whether they see any legitimate way out of the difficulty I cannot say, but probably their action will be taken merely as a matter of expediency.