SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1878.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 963, 24 August 1878, Page 2

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1878.

The principal' business which has occupied ttte Aaseriibly during the last, few, days has. been the discussion of_the, second reading of the Electoral Bill, while the Representation Bill of Mr Whitakei has also, part passu been freely considered. The latter measure lias npVf be^n withdrawn, aMd^the-Gbveriitrient Measure is alone before the Assembly. During the earlier stages of the debate the question of woman's suffrage was raised by ! Dr Wallis, and, after a short discussion, shelved by the moving of the previous qnestion. The subject was briefly discussed, as a matter which was really an abstract question of political science more fitted for the discussion class than the Legislature, and likely to lead to no practical result except that of loss of time. The fact is the new measure admits the principle of Woman's Suflrage, for it provides, as in our Municipal, and Educational Acts, that women who are ratepapers shall have the right to vote, and fven to be returned as members" 4>f the Legislature. For though ;plause 15, of the Electoral. Bill, specifying the three-fold qualification of electors" refers to only " every male person of the age of twenty-one years". — i Clause 17 provides that eyeryjptrson who is enrolled on a ratepayers roll within the Electoral district' shall be qualified to become an electpr and: every elector of any district' shall by the 22nd olause be qualified to be elected a member of the Assembly. Thus, the question of woman's suffrage in New Zealand is not one of principle hut of degree. The principle is admitted} but the House very naturally does not feel itself palled upon, to move further than it has done. The question of giving the suffrage to women is one that has not been "agitated by the public at large, and is one we believe upon which ; those most interested in agitating it have shown no concern whatever. Bat the Legislature if it go so far as is proposed will have ma<ie no inconsiderable effort in advancing holders of property and payors of the movement. When women are raises they perform duties of citizenship to the State, and it is only right and proper that they' should enjoy the same privileges men do under similar circumstances, and this the new measure provides for. Bat, in the case of married women, theirintorests and those of their husbands are one. and the same; and the franchise exercised by the latler, is pefsumed to be used, equally in the interest of both. That women intellectually are as well fitted to exercise such privileges as men is an open question on which much may be said on both sides, bat, as in all other questions of progressive legislation, reform will- only como under pressure from without, and that pressure has not

been made felt in t-he question above JmSe^tneitHure itself is not of that character the public were eiteto: believe it would be from the ipeelites of Ministers delivered luru|| the recess. The suffVuge| jualjp;ition is far from simple nian-f hopjpsu'ffrage, lightly clogged withal *4Sfalr nicre shadow of a residential j qualification, but is {threefold in character. A freehold of the clear "vatue" -of 1 £i£» -a- "year- -will^enablethe holder to claim to vote in any and every electoral district in which be mtty-hoWHUohaproperfcy, or r if«he. /holds no ifrefihqJd be may, claim to register as' a' householder occupying a teueineht of theiolear annual Value of .£lO, provided he has resided therein six months previous to the datfe. of life claim to vote. Or, again, theie is the residential q allocation, where, the clsrtftiani to register must hare resided $wd years ; in the colony and six j months in . the * electoral " district ifor.wiiich he.ttUunWto vote prpvioqs .to the. date of t Jiis. clajrti. tp : vote,, such elate »eirig ( taken to piea.n ' thedayon y^hicli tlibJjMrsott making ;» olaim to vote gives or; .lodge's the .same with, the Regiatratkiii Officer* 'Votertfiists #11 be r /nade up twice *a year>iiistead' of once, as now, namely : in 7 March and"-. September. There is, also a fourth qualiflcation, expressly provided . for by clause 18, to which we wonld draw attention; viz;, that every Maori shall bequalified to votein the election of members for the House of Representatives, but only when his name is enrolled npon a ratepayers roll in force within the district in respect of winch he claims to vote, and this privilege is granted with the proviso that nothing 'therein shall affect the rights he holds under the Maori Representation Act of 1867, that is," th*t natives shall still continue the ; enjoyment of at double exercisjß of the franchise — the return of special l maorj members to the Assembly and a voice under clause 18 in tha ordinary elections. This is clearly f ari injustice. It may be argued that it is an improvement on the old Act which enabled maoris to register AS\freehqlder^,tbjit! tjherei- wjfi ceryinly^i^fewer'ltftepkyers^tian freeholders. This might have been thecase had it been.made necessary that the names of ratepayers only who had 'paid theifc rates should be forwarded for registration, bat ;this is not so. T;h« cr Bill: ..simply provides that between the lAth and 31st pf August in every year the clerk of every. County Council and the town clerk' of every borough shall forward to the Registration Officer a copy of every ratepayers' roll for .the time being in force within the .^district; and while under clause 46 the Registration officer may object; to names of persons as not entitled to vote who have sought to qualify or h ave qualified eithei as freeholders, householders or holding "residential qualification.'' Clause 47 expressly provides that he, sjiall onlj exercise such power of- objection to a person oh the ratepayers' roll when that person is already registered. , But . whether, 6r no, this double representation afforded to the natives is highly objectionable. If they continue to return their own special members to the House, and this : method of representation appears to be the most practically useful in the, Maori interest, and less open to party abuses, they are clearly not entitled to take .' share in the ordinary 'elections of the colony. Surely, if Members of the Assembly can deny to the women of their own race, as many are doing, the exercise of the franchise on the plea of intellectual inferiority they cannot be found granting the same' privileges t© Maoris. '-„* ; >! The greatest defeat in the measure, perhaps,- is the absenoe of any provision for the redistribution of seats, Or even the affirmation of any [principle on which snch reduction ought to be made. . . fjf.-