The Wairoa Bell. AND Hobson County Gazette. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 217, 29 September 1893, Page 7

The Wairoa Bell. AND Hobson County Gazette. FRIDA Y, SEPTEMBER 29th.

A good deal has already been said and •written on the question of women’s fran chise, bnt as the reform, now the law or this land, is one of the greatest of recent years, we offer no apology for again reversing to it. It is of great importance, too, that it should receive full attention at the present time, for women, who have only now been enfranchised, have only a short time to prepare themselves before they will be called upon to exercise their votes according to the dictates of their own desires. The women of Auckland have held meet ings in connection with their enfranchise meat and wise counsels have prevailed amongst them. Many good rules of con duct in election matters have been suggested by and we gladly give them wider publicity. In the election matters of the past questions of morality and man’s duty to God, the Creator and giver of all good things, were kept very much in the back ground, and their absence was often made g'aringly conspicuous by the presence of bribery and corruption. With woman’s entrance into the political arena a change for the better will evidently be introduced, and the voice of 'he public as expressed in the ballot box will be more thoughtful and righteous. In the first meeting of Auekland women the proceedings were opened by the singing of “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,” and the speeches of each of the ladies who spoke bristled with Christian principles. The Chairwoman, Mrs Daldy, said that now God had given women the privilege of the franchise it was the“fiuty of all women to make the best possible use of it. In the past there had been a great deal of bribery and trickery at election times, but women, she said, must set their faces against all that. She also pointed out to women that they should go voluntarily to vote, and not wait for cabs to fetch them unless they were sick. If any man asked them for their vote, she advised them to tell him “ No! lam going to please myself and vote for the most upright." judicious candidate.” They should vote for the man who they thought would exercise the most judgment. They did not want men to go to Wellington simply to talk, Their candidates should be men who had sliown the power to manage their own affairs. At present there were a number in the House who had not doue so. How could they expect a man to manage the affairs of the country successfully if he could not run his own shop. Mrs Rattray said that each woman was responsible to her God, her friends, and her country for the way she used her vote, and she considered that it would he a good thing for the women at present to vote for the best men, independent of party. Better advice than this could be given by no one ; and this Sir George Grey felt when called upon to address the women assembled ; for he said that he did not think it was in his power to give much better advice than that already spoken. Woman and her vote will be subjected, no doubt, to a large amount of ridicule, out if the women of our land fulfil their duty in the manner suggested by their sisters in Auckland ridicule will soon pass into praise and they will be the means of immense service to their God and their country,

Our readers will remember the agitation of three years ago in the matter of the Gumdiggers’ Union, and the glaring prospectus of a Gumdiggers’ Co operative Com pany published for some time in Mr Dar gaville’s paper over the name of “ Fail ” ; also that Mr J. M. Dargaville was then standing for this electorate and that a Mr Somers was his chief henchman. When She election was over the Gumdiggers’ Union, the Co operative Company, Mr Somers and others collapsed. Election time is, however, again upon us and a Dargaville still desires to foist himself upon the electors, although his services are neither asked for nor required. An attempt has been made in a certain quarter to curry favour by the publication of wild and untruthful statements concerning the Austrians and Messis Mitchelson Bros., but the timely sittings of.the Gumfields’ Commission cleared the air by pulling the foundations from under the accuser’s feet and showing him up as one whose evidence is not reliable. The gumdiggers around Dargaville have, however, wisely taken up their own battle ; they held well conducted public meetings, and judging from the letter of Mr Ellis, secretary to the Executive Committee, their Committee meetings have also been carried on in good business style. Mr Fitzpatrick, the chairman, has been impartial, firm and yet not obtrusive. We always considered it a weak spot in the constitution of the Committee that a man in the employ of Mr Dargaville should have been appointed Secretary, more especially as he is not a gumdigger. It was also to be regretted that such a partisan as Mr Somers should have been tolerated. The Committee was, however, unanimously elected and it is very difficult in these matters to have things just as thev| should be. The good sense of the Chairman has evidently kept the plotters in check and they were defeated inj Committee by large majorities, sucii as 9 to 3. and 10 to 2, Had the minority been disinterested parties they would have at once given way to the large majority and worked together for the common good- but no, they evidently sought positions on the Commi '.tee to push the candidature of a particular candidate, and being defeated by wiser and more honorable men they withdraw. Had they stopped there we could not have found further fault with them; but impudence reigned supreme and this small minority now style themselves “ The North Auckland Gumdiggers’ Parliamentary Elections Committee,” and over the names of E. H. Fail, Mr Dargaville’s printer, and Tom Somers who is pretty well known as an agitator, but very little otherwise, call upon all true Liberals to support Messrs Jackson Palmer, Robert Thompson and Frank Dargaville. Whatever the other two gentlemen may think we feel sure Mr R. Thompson will scarcely feel flattered by the attention of this Committee of the minority. CLAIMS FOR ENROLMENT. The Aratapu postmaster on Wednesday received the following telegram from Mr Kirkpatrick, the Registrar of Electors — “ New forms claims for enrolment have been sent you and must now be used. I cannot register claims on old forms dated later than 19th, All claims sent by October sth will be placed on new roll ; subsequent claims on supplement. ’

No new forms have yet (Friday) been received by the local postmasters ; nor was any previous intimation sent that the old foims would be invalid ; consequently a large number of claims have been sent in since the 19th inst. on the old forms. Those who have only recently sent in their claims will have to do so again on the new forms, which will probably be supplied to post offices in a few days. In this issue we print the form of claim for enrolment described by the Electoral Bill 1893, and we would advise all ladies and gentlemen in|doubt as to whether their names are yet enrolled to fill it in at once, cut it out, and forward on addressed “ The Registrar of Electors, Bay of Islands Electorate, Kawakawa.” No stamp is required. It seems to us very improper that private individuals should have been supplied with the new forms in quantity some days ago, and yet that the post offices should still be without thorn. We are informed that certain individuals received their supplies direct from the Registrar of electors, and if such be the case the public have not been fairly treated. Papers of this nature should be impartially available to all electors at the

earliest opportunity ; and as the old forms are rulen informal by the Registrar, he should on the 19th inst. have so notified ail post offices and instructed them to destroy all old forms.

All claims sent in by October sth will be placed on the new roll, so that those who immediately attend to the sending in ot claims on the new forms will have the satisfaction of seeing their names safely registeren some weeks before the election takes place. Parliament expires by the effluxion of time on December sth and the elections wil[ take place almost immediately afterwards. Ladies and gentlemen enrol, enroll, ENROLL.