THE WEST CONTY COUNCIL ELECTIONS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 953, 19 December 1881, Page 2

THE WEST CONTY COUNCIL ELECTIONS.

- ' (To the Editor Watbaeapa Daily,) Bowlands, Masterton, December 12,1881. Sin,—Now that the case of the election for the Masterton District has been before the Court, there is no longer any reason for delicacy in commenting upon it. There are two matters demanding the serious attention of electors; ■., The first is the state of the electoral roll. It is of the greatest importance to the electors that this roll should be accurate and complete. It is the duty of a paid officer to make nut this roll. If he fails,, he deprives electors of their .votes, and dis» qualifies them from a seat in thi Coilßttli

It is diffioult to say w]ut adequate and ,{f : > appropriate punishment could be inflioted ;} A on an officer who either wilfully or by ■.&'■') gross negligence deprives an elector of '' one of his moflt important rights. In the case of any elector it is bad enough, but in the case of an eleotor who iB a candidate it is an aggravated misohief, because the whole distriot may be deprived—as in • the case of Mr McGregor—of an experienced and most industrious and capable representative. -<" That a responsible officer should be guilty of the impertroenci of electors whose names were omitwaat they Bhould have looked out and senß themselves that their names were 6irn& roll seems incredible, but I am assured it was the case. It may be desirable that electors should look after their rights, but if so, the most abundant means should be taken to enable them to do so. In England the' voters for' poor law and .highway purposes' are secure, because the rate-book is the roll, while in the case of municipal and parliamentary voters the fullest publicity is given 'by the publication of the lists outside 'the town and county halls, and on the outside of the doors of every church, ohapel, and place of public worship in town and county four Sundays before the roll is made up, and, then; ample time is given for making claims.

fl am quite at a loss to know why we should be less jealous here of the rights of the colonists than the old country is of the rights of her people,, The matter should be looked to. I regret, extremely that the case has been compromised; that it has not been threshed out in public, and that the electors are to be kept in the dark as to how and why. a very large number of them throughout the West County were deprived of their votes at the recent elections.

The sec6nd point on which I desire to oomment affects the principles on whioh candidates are selected. And first—that there may be no idea that I am myself concerned, let me say that I heard on my return from Canterbury with most unfeigned s?.tisfaotion that Mr Macquarrie had been elected. When I first accepted the seat in the Council I did so only on. the distinct assurance that no other settler would take it; and on this occasien I had resolved again not to stand, and only most reluctantly subscribed the nomination paper under the impression that no other person had any serioui intention of coming forward, and I take this opportunity of expressing my regret to the Alfredton and Eketahnna settlers that they, were put to the trouble of any contest, assuring them that had I not been compelled to go South, and so being unable to pay them a visit, they would never have been put to this trouble, And now,having gotrid of myself,l muit go to the use of the Masterton election, I am : informed, on credible authority, that the whole object of the conteßt was to turn out Mr McGregor; and why! Because he, acting on his best judgment, had not voted for an expenditure of County money in embanking the Waipoua Biver at Upaki.

I cannot discuss the rights of this case. I had arranged, if I was returned, tq go to the spot and inquire into it, but the rights or wrongs do not affect the principle I have to urge. What Ido blame,' and blame most strongly, in such action as that against Mr MoGreger, is its thoughtless, shortsighted, and narrow selfishness. It is of the highest importance to the Wairarapa to get good, experienced, capable, and impartial men of business—men able to take a broad view of the whole County business, and to build up the County Council into a really ÜBeful working local executive body. \ The electors get a good man like McGregor, he works for them for years, and then, because he displeases a clique of them, in some little miserable local item, instead of asking him to reconsider the point, instead of going to him as their representative and arguing the question with him and hearing his reasons, they set to work to oppose his return, and worry him with the expense and annoyance of a contest. ] I say nothing about the candidates they ! put forward, or who put themselves forward; they may be excellent men, but the effect will be this, that no man, however good, oan ever feel safe, thatservices however long or great, however faithfully ! rendered, will ever give a member any sense of confidence, He will know that he must be ready to vote for any expenditure, right or wrong, that a fairly influential number of his constituents desires, or have his seat contested. There can be nothing worse for the electors at large-nothing more demoralising to the whole Council,

If a member of the Council persistently ens or fails on the entire basis of local government, or on a vital principle of local government, by all means try and tutn him out, but on no maiter of detail should a man's seat be endangered; and under all oircumstances, if there is discontent, he shou.d at least be called onto explain his action.

The course taken against Mr McGregor argues a fickleness aud a selfisliueM that promises ill for the cause of self-govern-ment in the colony, Fickle electors make bad representatives. Let us try here in the Wairarapa to put things on a better footing between electors and representatives in allcaßes; ohoose well, and having ohosen well, do not lightly dismiss. I am, &o„ KOBBRT S. HaWKINI, [The officer who was responsible for the defeotive roll was seriously ill at the time it was made up, and subsequently died. For this reason less has been s&id on the subject than would have been said under other oircumstanoes,— Ed,W.D.]