The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1905. ELECTORAL LAW.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12638, 27 October 1905, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1905. ELECTORAL LAW.

With six candidates in the field for the Wanganui seat, it follows that a good many local ©lectors are just now act-ing in the oapacity of committee ■workers. It is desirable, then, that in the interests of ooanmifcteemen and tCI concerned in the election that the -\v on the subject should be well unde-.tood. In the first pliaoe every mem bar of a committee must bear constantly in mind that he is the agent of the- candidate; that the candidate will be responsible for his actions, and that if the comm.ittee.man breaks the law and does any act which is a corrupt or illegal practice ias defined in the Electoral Act, lie is risking not only the penalty which he himself would incur, but also the loss of the seat which he has worked to secure. While every effort should be made to get upon the Register all qualified electors who are not on the roll, every person attending to this work should see as fai' as possible that the claimant is really entitled to be enrolled. Any ©lector may object in -writing to the Registrar to the name of any person on the electoral roll whom he believes to liedisqualified (see Section 42, Sub-section 2), and it is des-.Taible <bha/t the roll should be strictly scrutinised for that purpose. After the date- of the issue d the writ, no name can be added to the roll and no name oan be removed therefrom. Great oare must be taken tlhat the public are admitted to any meeting held in a school or public building which, is granted free of charge. If a candidate uses the school or public building free of charge for any purpose vtihan that of a public meeting (that is .to say a meeting at which any member of the public oan attend) then the hold- ' ing of such a meeting is an illegal practice and would vitiate the election. A committee meeting must not be held at a public house. These will be found defined in the Electoral Act, Sections 188 to 196 inclusive, and those sections should be carefully studied by every person interested in the election on behalf of the candidate. It is to be remembered that the corrupt practice of bribery may be constituted without any gift of money. The mere promise of advantage to an elector, whether sudh advantage be an office or appointment or a loan or any other consideration which might be an inducement, constitutes a bribery. This offence may be committed at any time before or after the election. " Treating " is providing drink and food cm the day of the elec- j tiion to a voter. " Undue Influence " is ! difficult to explain otherwise than it is defined in Section 190. The business of every conimitteeman is to use his beet efrortSvto secure the return of the candidate, but to carefully abstain from offering any inducement of any kind other than ifair political argument to the voter. The only persons who may be paid by the candidate for work done in connection with <an election are the persons specifioially referred to in the Fourth Schedule to the Electoral Act, namely, one secretary, one scrutineer for each polling booth, and a clerk, and a messenger for each polling place, but no elector may be appointed either clerk or messenger. A person who receives payment cannot vote. Every committeeman, every canvasser, person who undertakes to do work must remember that, however anxious the oandidate may be to remunerate him for his services, sudh remuneration is impossible for the following reasons: — First, the payment is an illegal practice and would forfeit the seat; seoondly, the candidate is required by law to make a declaration of hrls expenditure and every item thereof. The candidate cannot make a false statement, and therefore, if he were to make a payment not authorised by law, he would in fact be required subsequently, in his declaration, to prove that he had forfeited his seat. Therefore, net only must the can; • ' mitteemeu expect no payment, but they are required to see that no payment is made, except in accordance with ,-ihe j Act. No payment can be made for conveyance of electors to the poll or for any flags, banners, or distinctions, or for bill-posting. The total amount which a candidate may expend is £200, including all travelling expenses, printing, advertising, stationery, halls for public meetings, and expenses of committee rooms, and the expenditure of any sum exceeding £200 is a practice and would forfeit the seat. The candidate alone may expend or promise to expend money, and the candidate is bound to make a true statement of the whole of (his expenditure. If any pen-on on his behalf pays or promises to pay money or to give any valuable consideration, the result would be that the whole election may 'be thrown away. It must be understood that this is only a brief summary of the provisions of the Electoral Act, and that many details are necessarily omitted, but it is sufficient, we think, to put all interested on their guard.