THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Issue 4, 18 June 1898, Page 1

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER.

SATUEDAY, JUNE 18, 1898.

The question of municipal franchise is «x* to be much in evidence during the - session of Parliament which opens this month. The Government have promised a Bill deal*ing -with the subject, -and many prominent members have indicated their attitude towards it. The disadvantages, not to say evils, of the present system are certainly most pro--nounced in the cities and larger towns ; but •even in Wdmat'e they are apparent enough* As everyone knows, only property owners and leaseholders have a voice in the election of Borough Councils. The Radicals advocate adult suffrage with a residential qualification as in parliamentary elections. Mr Seddon proposes t adult suffrage; bat would also give property-owners a vote even if not resident* Major ' Steward, more moderate still, would confine the franchise to householders and proparty -owners. The Conservatives of course consider the present system So nearly perfect that it had better be left alone. As bearing on this subject we would call attention to some figures which have been supplied us in reference to the new Burgess Roll for Wai-

*nate» We do not Vouch for the absolute coirectness of the figures, but believe they are correct enough for all practical purposes. It appears that there are some 286 voters* 258 have one vote each and the remaining 28 having troni 2 to 5 votes each are able to cast among them 72 votes in the election of Borough councillors. -Of the 286 burgesses about €0 reside outside the borough, so that of residential burgesses there are not more than, say, 226. Our plural voters being so few, we' have not the anomaly existing in some other places of a minority of the voters holding a majority or the votes, but when it is remembered that the Borough Council has the making of the conditions under which the _/ inhabitants of the town must live, the situation is serious enough to call for a remedy, *' The population of Waimate borough is not less than 1400. ' The proportion of adults to minors in the colony is 50 per cent. There- •' fore we have 700 adult residents, and on the interests ot less than one-third of these de* penda the welfare of the whole town* A .cdnespondent in this issue of the Adveetiseb writes of" A movement being made by the Council in reference to a water-supply. But under the present franchise who will decide the matter ? Practically the property-owners and lease-holders, and 60 of these non-

resident. Surprise is sometimes expressed that more interest is not taken in municipal elections. The reason is not far to seek* The large majority of those most interested have no voice in the matter, and the voters are So few that it does not take a very large clique to work thing 3 their own way* * There is also another reason why a small party is able to rule an election. Theoretically, only those having what is called a "stake" in the Borough can have a vote,- and the bigger the "stake" the greater the power* But a man who has a property of & few quarter acre sections which would only entitle him to one vote puts his wife &ndi in gome instances other members of his family on the roll for a Bection each* Thus property /which" should carry but one vote beconies entitled to two ot more. This makes the clique, system still easier to work* A glance' at the rolT'ehowa that this roll stuffing ig not 'unknown in "Vyai--mate." We believe if each \ burgess were called on for documentary proof "of Ms or,her;right to b« on the roll, in many iiistancea it would ttdi be forthcoming* Enough)" perhaps, has Said in the meantime to show^that" there its Urgent need for a more liberaFfranchise "thftn the present one.