BALLOT SECRECY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 167, 15 July 1914, Page 8

BALLOT SECRECY.

li IT IN DANGER! '■'.'■! Telegraph.— Parliamentary Reporter. AVISLLLViiTON, Tuc-lay. One of the innovations proposed by th, Lo. .il LTectiolis and Polls Jtmendmeni Liill is iv regard to the ballot -paper. Th, old form contains the elector's roll num bcr, but this, i<- hidden by the cornci being turned over it and gummed down The new projposal is, along the lines o the Parliamentary election system, made; ".viiich there is a counterfoil to the ballot paper. The paper will contain a conseeu live number, and the counterfoil mill b. marked with tlie elector's number. sir Joseph Ward. Mt. C. W. Mussel, ami the Hon. .1. A. Millar instantly attasked this proposal as a danger to the -.vreey of the ballot. A returning oflicei only needed to place the (ballot pa crs ii, consecutive order to know cxactl how any particular elector voted. Mr. Hussell pointed ..nit that in some cases the poll ing vv.is, so small '.hat returning officer.lll.l deputies could easily remember the order in which people voted, and thus -see -plainly their choice. The lion. I. 31. U. Fisher stated in reply that the clauses criticised 'had hern copied, word for word, from the Legislature Act. IDOS. so that if then was likely to be lack of secrecy in local elections there-was a similar condition in connection with Parliamentary elections. \Tln agreed to accent a suggestion that .before the bill passed it should be curL-idered by the Municipal Conference now sitting in Wellington.