LICENSING COMMITTEE ELECTION DISPUTE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8259, 12 October 1906, Page 7

LICENSING COMMITTEE ELECTION DISPUTE.

RETURNING OFFICER AND CONTROLLING AUTHORITY. The dispute over the coat of the Licensing Committee election, held on Marob 13th last, between the Returning Officer (Mr W. Gilleapie) and the Masterton County Cuuncil was again before the Masterton County Council at their meeting yesterday. The Chief Electoral Offloer, acting under instraotions from the Colonial Seoretary, forwarded a copy of the letter received by the Colonial Secretary from Mr Gillespie, reporting the refusal of the Council to pay th* sum of £59 16s, balance due for expenses incurred by bim in connection with the Licensing Committee election in March last, and requesting the Colonial Treasurer to pay the said £59 16s, and deduot the same irom the next subsidy payable to the Conncil in terms of section 19 of "The Appropriation Act, 1904." Mr Gillespie's letter pointed out that according to the census just taken the Masterton County had a population of 3,723, while the other Counties in the electorate have 3,829, and the Masterton Borough £5,021. The Borough Council did not object to their charges, and the action of the Masterton County Council had been taken without the approval or sanotion of the other local authorities concerned. In taot, from first to last, the other contributing bodies seemed to have been totally ignored in the matter. The Connty Council, which had caused all the difficulty, was only called upon to contribute about one-twelfth of the expenses, while the* Masterton Borough Council, wbioh contributed more than half had in no way been consulted by the Controlling Authority, and took no exception to the Returning Officer's claim. The letter further stated that owing to the oourse persuen by the Masterton County Council he had been pot to a considerable amount of annoyance and expense, and she peopie employed, as well as newspaper proprietors, tod been kept out of their money. The Colonial Treasurer requested the Counoil to consider the whole matter in view of the powers vested In the Colonial Treasurer, and the following facts: —(1) In reply to representations made by the Counoil on March 20tb, 1906, the Colonial Seoretary decided that as the Government was not responsible for the expenses of the Licensing Committee election, the matter was r«ne entirely for the Council to deal wltb, but that the Returning Officer would te direoted to observe the scale of remuneration fixed by tbe Council; (2) the Colonial Secretary has since been informed by tbe Returning offloer that he did not leceive any official intimation of the County Counoil's decisions on bis estimate of the cost of the election until the morning of the election, when it was too late for him to alter His arrangements. He admits being aware of tbe County Clerk's views on the matter, but he did not consider that Mr Moore represented the full views of the Council. JUe also says that be had consulted some of the Councillors of the Masterton Borough (which bears more than half the cost of tbe election), and they were favourable to his paying Returning Officers and poll olerks according to the scale fixed by the Colonial Secretary for the general elections. The chief electoral officer also pointed unt:—That a recent election at Christahurch was declared void through the blundering of a deputy returning offloer, and the Returning Offloer was mulcted in costs to the extent of £5 6s, on the ground that he must be held responsible for the olaes of deputy returning offloers he employs, and further—That the Commissioner appointed in 1904 to report upon the cost of tbe Wairarapa Licensing Committee election reported as follow: "That fees charged are based on a scale fixed by tbe Colonial Seoretary for the oonduot of general elections. I think this should be adhered to for Licensing Committee elections a'so. Tbe I responsibility of conducting licensing elections, the class of persons required for deputies and poll olerks, aad the care required in the conduct of the elections, are tbe same as for general elections, and the pay should be the same, too." (Note~Upon .receipt of this report the whole of ibie Licensing Committee election expenses and tbe Returning Officer's law costs were paid by the Colonial Treasurer, and subsequently deducted from the local authority's next subsidy in terms of "The Appropriation Act, 1901"). Before taking action in regard to tbe Returning Officer's applications the Colonial Seoretary considered I the Council should be given an opportunity to consider, in tbe light of these representations, whether the balance of the Masterton Licensing Committee election expenses should not fce paid by the local authority without the intervention of the Colonial Secretary. The Council decided to refer the wbole matter to a select committee, consisting of Crs Cockburil-Hood, Welob, and Guild, to ascertain the opinions of local bodies interested on the points at issue, and to report at the next meeting of the Counoil. A further letter from the Chief Eleotoral Officer stated that be was directed by tbe Hon. Colonial Seoretary tu' inform the Council that the Government has under the consideration the advisability of amending tbe law in tbe direction of altering tbe control of tbe Licensing Committees' Election and of the expenses in connection therewith, The County Clerk was instructed to write to the various local bodies interested, pointing out the Counoil's views and asking their views on the subject.