Stratford News.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 139, 8 December 1911, Page 3

Stratford News.

POLLING-DAY. A GOOD-HUMORED ELECTIONS So fur the Stratford election has been what an election should be —free from unseemly behaviour, free from personalities, free from nasty tilings of all kinds. In a few minutes more the hours of polling will have closed. As I write 1 see three of the free end enlightened electors making a great "dash for the poll/' They'll have to hurry or lose their chance of voting. Strange, isn't it, that people so freely risk this great privilege of voting, a privilege for which their fathers and grandfathers and sundry other generations have fought so valiantly and so long. To-day the women of England are breaking windows and policemen's heads because they can's break down the system which for centuries lias relegated woman to the background of politics. Here we find women who don't care whether they vote or not, forgetting that as Xew Zealand women they have in their hands a powen which women know in very few places. A couple of elections ago they were'mightily delighted when a cab and a pair of jaded bays drew up at the front gate, and a ribboned enthusiast was ready to drive them off to the polling-place. Not so to-day with scores 1 —hundreds, perhaps. "Send a motor-car or I won't come!" And rather than de-. prive the free and enlightened and now domineering elector of a triennial motorride, and also because no candidate can afford to throw away a single vote, off goes the motor-car. and so the voter is whirled along the dusty road. Isn't the elector beinc spoiled? To-day has been a busy day in Stratford with the partisans of Messrs. Hine and McCluggage. From an early hour there were executives, and committeamen, and organisers at work. And they kept in almost constant operation a whole host of motor-cars, cabs, buggies and gigs. "Reception stewards '—l suppose that's what they really were, although no one gave them such a grandiloquent title—met each vehicle, and ladies were handed courteously down. Rich and poor alike, old as "well as young—for all had one vote, and only one. Every man was as good as his neighbor, and every woman felt that she had as much to do with the administration of the country as any other j woman, or any man. Colors were fly- J ing. There were rosettes and streamers I of black and red. They were worn bv ' the supporters of Mr. Ilinc, and they I figured conspicuously on the motor-cars and whips and buggies, and horses. Pale blue fluttered in every loyal buttonhole for the McCluggage party. There must have been miles of ribbon about. One gallant was seen with streamers of each. He was probably an Independent. There was little excitement. Everybody was cheerful. \"o one was angry. Everybody was confident. There was a high wind blowing during the morning, and at the Town Hall it was difficult to regulate the doors and the voters as well. Then the wind fell, I and things were more pleasant. Some thoughtful person sent the municipal water-cart along to keep down the dust, and it was necessary as it was welcome. Very early complaints were made that electors who had voted here for years and years past, who had never been out of the electorate, and whose names appeared on the main roll, were no longer electors, their names having since been struck off from the roll. Before eleven o'clock there were some forty cases of this at the Town Hall, and later in the afternoon one of those working on the matter told me that at least two hundred of the six hundred struck off were wrongly deprived of their votes. So I saw Mr. Frank Bird, the returning officer. He told me that it was the people's own fault. The names had been struck off under the provisions of section 15 of the Legislature Act of 1010. Certain people had not been located bv the electoral census, and subsequent enquiry also failed to locate them. In each case a registered letter was addressed to these people informing them that unless they replied or communicated with the registrar within seven days their names would be struck off the roll. Many failed to take any notice of the communication, and it was their own fault if they were then struck off. The arrangements at t.lie two pollingbooths—at the Town Hall and the Conrt''"use —were ample, and no undue crush •'•red. Delays happened now and !'•: when absent voters' permits arrived in a bunch, for these entailed quite a lot of work. Mr. Bird's deputies were: At Xo. 1 booth (Town Hall), Messrs. P. Skoglund and 0. Pciin; at Xo. 2 booth (Town Hall). Messrs. Mallow and L. Tockcr; at Xo. 3 booth (the Courthouse) Messrs. P. Thomson and \V. H. Ryan. All seemed thoroughly versed in their work. About 1000 people were estimated t-o have voted by two o'clock, and by halfpast five they wore coming very thinly. At a quarter to six the lists of the organising committees seemed to have been exhausted. Both Messrs. lline and McCluggage were in evidence in the vicinity of the main booth during the dav. Each candidate. I should think, has reason to be proud of the work performed by the enthusiasts on the respective sides. GENERAL NEWS There has been scarcely anything but election to notice io-day. And very little but. election news will be wanted in the morning. so the scarcity of "pars' will not be noticed. Mr. .Tack Mackay. who was seriously ill in Auckland recnUy. ami was there operated upon bv llrs. Sava;re and Paget. returned t<> Stratford from Auckland bv this nflwM'n'* tr»m. The' Strafford Racim; Hub lias entrusted Mr. Elder, of SI ral ford, with the catering for the animal races on Xew Year's Day and the following dav. The successful conduct of the race luncheon is no small matter, and it, certainly tends greatly towards the enjoyment of the day when one feels perfectly satisfied with the treatment of "the inner man." The same caterer had the catering for the recent- show, and there was a vcrv general imininn amongst showground habitues that it was the finest show luncheon put on in Tarannki this year. This is some guarantee for the manner in which the racing club's patrons will be served.

From Our Resident Reporter.