The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 27, 1905. NOTE AND COMMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7883, 27 July 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 27, 1905. NOTE AND COMMENT.

Sir Joseph Ward's Electoral Hill is ft consolidating measure THE of 2HH sections. It ELECTORAL# also contains a numbHILL. er of new und important provisions. A new subsection delines utban and rural populations for the purpose of the .adjustment of the /quota. Crban po]>- - uJation means "any population contained in a city or borough having ( a population of over 12000, or con- % tai'ft.fl in any within live mi Km of th« chief offices of Auckland | City, Cfiristchurch City, Uunedin j City, or Wellington City." Jlural ! population is any population other 1 thivi urbttn. The seajt of a meml>er of | lh«j House is to become vacant if ho becolttos a contractor for. (lie (Jovenij nicnt. The Electoral Act is tfc» lx*ad--0 n!.inistesred by a chief electoral officer, 1 assisted by a deputy for each electTo ra3 disarkjt. There must ,lie a separ-ia-tc registrar, who may aiso be the ; returning officer for the same disirict, a.sjj it is set out that "no registrar or returning officer shall hold an.v official position in conwtfion with any political organisation." The . general it>ll in every district is to be ! closed on March -M in eveiy year, after which date no names are to be added to the general roll, and the roll is to be printed as soon as practicable after that dale. Failure to deliver a. claim for enrolment.is made , iui offence punishable by a line up to £2or imprisonment for three ntontlte. rrovision is made by which a j>ertfpn is qUaJifii# to vofe, but is not 4 on -the roll, jnay be allowed ty voW on jiuiking a declaration as to his nomination an elector may f.tpji'ly to the registrar for an absent voter s permit, which vill enable him to rc<»rd a !his votejvt o. |K>lling ( booth outside Iris district of registration, and his ballot paper will he forwarded to the returning oflicer of the district for which the vote is exercised. The deputy-returning officer is made responsible I'or i\v Safe custody of the ballot paperft.and a line up to £IOO may be imposed on any person I obtaining anv ballot paper other Hum | j!m one gi\«-n him by the returning i. iflfeer. Where ihe polling day at any V 'iciloii '.is other than that appoint/*I as ' it* v.-'.«'kly half-holiday under the ShVp' and Offices Act, 1901, the pro\isi(.'n* of that Act relating to the half- tv'i'kiy MiaH p'fer to the polling day jr '•«'» of the day f-o appointed, it s'vu'l not be neCe**«ry for any facto, 'V to close during the working hours Jo** 'he polling day. but the occupier ,<>f the factory shall afford each of his n reasonable opjnjr* tunily of his vote without any deducting from wn#>s. A fine of il.'i is provided for a -breach of this provisir w).