TAUMARUNUI ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 303, 1 June 1915, Page 2

TAUMARUNUI ELECTION.

THE APPOINTMENT OF IiKCISTKAU. COMMENTS liY MR. JKX'XINtiK. To Kuiti, May i!S. Interviewed here to-day, Mi'. \V. T. .lennings, asked if lie had any reply to the Prime Minister's ,-tafcuieiit as to Win' a, fresh registrar and chief returuhig officer should not be iippoinicl, made thin statement:— The change of officers 111 .Tune last, substituting M'.'. Sehvamm for Mr. I!u----chanan, was a mistake. The latter had conducted four elections without a hiteli, and he was acquainted with tin; whole of the electorate and tin* people. Mr.'Schramm was brought from Wangan:ii and put in charge of the most difficult electorate in the Dominion. and was also acting as clerk of Te Kuiti Court. He stated before the Flection Court that liis duties were too great for him to attend to the electoral work. The result was that hundreds of 'persons were struck oil' the roll who were qualified to he oil. Numbers of instances were {riven to the Hon. F. M. )!. Fisher and the TTnu. Mr. Masscy of persons who received acknowledgments from Schramm tiiat they were enrolled, but 011 going to tin- poll found their linmes were not 011 the roll. ill'. 'Masscy, replying to Mr. .Teuliings 011 February 27, said the Electoral Department stated it was inadvertence oil the part, of the registrar, and regretted the circumstances ; but, 'these people lost their votes. Again, Schramm received an application signed by live qualified men, asking for absent voters' perijiits. Not receiving them, they telegraphed to Mr. .1 ell - nings, who saw Schramm. The applications were,received hv him, hut he said they were not in order. Asked if ho had' notified the men, lie said it was not his business to do so. These, and many more instances made him (Mr. Jennings) think it was not an unreasonable request to have an officer from Wellington to take charge of the by-election. 'Mr. Masscy's statement thai, Schramm lias a. 1; llrwledc'e '■'.■■o ' i'oihaf Shrjuim has never been in any part of it, exclusive of the towns of To Kijiti and Tallinnruniii. At the last election, out of ninety-eight 'pollinghooths i "Reformers" had charge of ei"hty. After the declaration of the poll 011 December IS, all the ballotpapers, etc., in connection with the lale election were left in the oilice at. Te Kuiti until January li, and were then forwarded to the Clerk,.of-l'arlia-lnent at Wellington. The previous officer had them away in four days after the declaration.