The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 1888.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2482, 7 June 1888, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 1888.

Eoual and exact justice to all mon, 01 whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

Tiik Electoral Bill of the Hon. Mr Hislop, is it very important measure, it revolutionises to a great extent the existing system of elections for the J louse of Representatives, and makes certain alterations in the qualifications of electors. The Bill aims at a complete codification of all the laws at present in operation relating to the franchise and general elections. The privilege hitherto enjoyed by the natives of exercising the dual vote is abolished during sueii time as the Maori Representation Act 1867 continues in force, and which confers upon the nativerace the right to separate representation. The whole country is to be divided intoeleetoral divisionsin place of the electoral districts provided by the Representation Act of last year. The Commissioners appointed under that Act are authorised to amalgamate the .several divisions into groups, each of the existing districts being incorporated into, and forming apart of, the amalgamated group, which will be designated an "electoral district."' iso amalgamated electoral district is to comprise more than eight, or less than three, divisional districts. The cities of Auckland, Wellington, Christcliiuch, and "iMinedin are

created, together witli the electoral divisions 'in tli-.i" iinmccli.-it.-vi.'ihitw Hill '•■! viroiiK, SC|)!U-;it(i ■I M'tOV'll list.: iytS, tIIUS il-tKl'lllillg tilt! priivinle 'vtF iHii;ilf;ani;itin<{ of c ; rv ■!, ~. Irn>-i.cn-fi w'liieli lias boon contended for during many years.

Vll the necessary arrangements re

([iiired by the Dill for fixing the bouiid-.iries, grouping and naming the in-w electoral districts, are entrusted entirely to the Commis-

sioners appointed under the Representation Act. The general fran-

chise is amended, the qualification of election being limited to all adult residents of the full age of twenty-

one years who have been residents in the colony for one year, and for si:c months in the division of the

electoral district for which they claim to vote. Persons who have been convicted of any indictable oll'etiee

are disqualified and their names arcto be expunged from the divisional electoral roll. We next come fo an innovation in the system of registration of electors ; namely, every person, before he can be placed on an electoral roll, must obtain a. certificate of his right to vote.

This certificate is called "an elector's right," which is issued to him by the Registrar, Deputy-Registrar, or Postmaster authorised to issue, in

the electoral division in which the elector resides, and for which he claims to vote. An elector's right must bear the bonnjhk signature of

the elector, which must correspond with the signature on the counter-foil of the certificate. Each certificate and butt have printed or stamped on them a series of numbers in arithmetical order. In the event of an elector changing his residence from one district to another, he can, on application to the proper officer, have his right transferred. .Should the signature appended to an elector's written claim to be placed on a roll, or for the transfer of his right, not correspond with or be in the same hand-

writing as that on the certificate or the butt, then the Registrar shall not grant such application, and the onus of proof shall be with the elector to establish his claim before a Resident Magistrate. Electors shall apply to the Registrar for elector's tights to vote in any one district, and that officer on being satisfied of the applicants' right to exercise their votes, shall issue the certificates containing all the necessary particulars, on payment of the fee of one shilling for each, or such certificates may be forwarded to a Deputy-Registrar or Postmaster, to be given to the elector.", who will sign their names, with the date of receipt, on the certificate and counter-foil. It will be observed

here that a new qualification is introduced ; namely, an educational one, for it is made a necessary condition that every elector must sign his name to the certificate. If

elector's rights are issued to illiterate voters, it is obvious there could be no safeguard against personation or fraudulent applications by comparing their "marks." In the case of lost or defaced elector's rights, it is provided that substituted certificates can be issued to voters, and the corresponding butts of the original rights, and of those transferred to other districts,

are to bo cancelled. A record ol such cancelled rights is to be kepi

by the Registrar. During an election each voter must produce his elector's right at the pollingbooth before he can be given a ballot paper. The roll of each electoral division is to be made up and revised every three years, but supplementary lists of electors, arranged in alphabetical order, shall

be made out in each year and shall contain the names of those

not included in the general roll and to whom elector's rights have been since issued or transferred. Notice

is to be givon by advertisement that the general or supplementary lists are open for inspection at such place and time as shall be fixed upon Objections may bo lodged against

.■my person whose name appears in such lists, and they will be heard by the magistrates appointed to hold Courts of Revision.

The new regulations for carrying out general elections differ in many ways from those now in vogue. Nominations of candidates must be made on a separate nomination paper by ten electors resident of the same electoral division, and then forwarded to the Returning Officer of the division. The same electors, or any of them, may subscribe to as many nominations only as there are vacancies to be filled. The Re-

turning Officer of the division will telegraph the contents of the nomination paper, and transmit them to the Election Olliccr of the electoral district, who shall satisfy himself that all is en regie ; and he shall post each list so received outside his office, and telegraph a copy of the whole, from (lay to day, to the Returning Officer of each division, who shall also exhibit them in some public place. The deposit of ten pounds with the candidates' nomination will now be dispensed with. In case of a poll being required, it is to be taken by ballot, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., of the same day. The Bill contains numerous provisions for the conduct of the ballot and the presentation of their elector's rights by voters, with every precaution against irregularities and offences. All the divisional Returning Officers will carefully forward the ballot-papers to the Election Officer of the district, who will in due time, proceed to examine them and sort them according to the priority of the candidates, in order to ascertain the quota. He will divide the aggregate number of all the ballot papers tendered at the election by the number of members to be elected, jihts one, and to the quotient (or the integral part of the quotient where this is fractional) ho shall add one. The result will bo the quota. Every candidate having a full quota of votes will lie elected, those with (he least number of first votes will be defeated. The system of publicly declaring the result of the poll is to ho abolished in favour of a notification posted on the outside of the principal polling place, and also published in a newspaper, us is the case with county

and borough elections. The hour for closing the poll at a general election is made uniform throughout the colony. The principal introduced into the Dill is that advocated by Hare. In place, however, of creating the whole colony into one: huge constituency, the system is modified to suit the circumstances of the colony by forming it into several electoral districts, but at the same time reducing the greater number of separate constituencies in which it is ;i,t present divided. This object

has already been gained to some extent by the Act passed last year, which fixes the number of members to be returned to the Lower House at 70 instead of 91, and consequently rendering it necessary at the next election to extend the boundaries of

the present districts. Under the Electoral Bill the absolute representation of the majority is sought to be obtained and the recurrence of such anomalies as were the result of the last elections avoided. The great objection we had to the adoption of the proposed system was the merging of the representation of the country into that of the cities, a serious evil that would

have raised bitter opposition from the country members. By keeping the country districts, however, free from the influences of the city, this insuperable objection is removed and the attainment of true representa-

tion becomes more assured. The exercise of the privilege of voting will also be raised to a higher tone, suid the contests will he pureed of the demoralising and often degrading elements which have hitherto characterised our national elections. The proposed reform will meet with strong opposition, not only on account of the Hare system it favours, but also because it abolishes the property qualification.