MUNICIPAL ROLLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 50, 28 February 1923, Page 8

MUNICIPAL ROLLS.

INCREASE IN ELECTORS. RETENTION OF SOX-VOTERS' NAMES CRITICISED. The municipal elections will be held on April 26 this year, and the main rolls closed at the end of January, but ■ there will be suppleraenatry rolls which, in the majority of cases, will close about a fortnight before polling day. Inquiries were made this morning to ascertain the increase in the electors. In connection with Auckland city, Mr. P. Notley, the city valuer, who is the registrar) stated the main roll for this Tear comprises 31.211 names, against 21,009 at the last election, held in 1921. This difference wae accounted for as follows: —Main roU and six supplementary rolls, 1921, 37651, less /deletions already authorised by tbe Council at various times, 6233, making a total of 31,418 on the roll at the time of the last by-election, held on October 25,1922From this wae taken 050 names appearing on the roll of 1921 which were omitted from the 1923 roll, leaving 30,768.' New names, as per valuation list and recent enrolments, numbered 443, making the total on the main roll for the coming elections 31,211. The main roll for the Onehunga borough totals 2523, against 2496 in 1921, while at Takapuna the electors on tbe main roll number 2470. an increase of 320. At Devonport the main roll will consist of about 3500 names, against about 3211 last election. There were 1500 on the roll at Newmarket in 1921, and it is anticipated that there will be an increase of about 500 this year. Approximately the increase in the electors at Mt. Eden, according to the roll, will be about 1000, the number last election being 7003. In 1921 there were 6500 on the roll at Mt. Albert, and it is stated that there is bound to be an increase this year.

The fact that the Government has altered the regulations since the previous elections and stopped town clerks from removing from the rolls the names of "residential-" who did not exercise their right is strongly commented upon in all quarters. It was stated this was likely to lead to impersonation and dual voting, and, besides, keep on toe Toll the names of people who qualified by residence and later left tbe district, making the roll considerably more bulky than it should be and adding to tbe cost of production-

Mr. Notley wrote in 1021, after perusing an advance copy of the regulations, that the Government had omitted the clause giving town clerks the power to delete names of non-voter_ and he considered it necessary that it should be re-inserted, otherwise there would be no means of removing the names which ■were there under tbe residential qualification. This was a difficulty before the clause was first inserted and it necessitated the employment of thirty hands to make a house-to house canvass to ascertain who resided in the district. He thought that something should be done to hive the clause reinstated in the regulations.

Another town clerk pointed out that \to w ? u " u bec °«c »s large as a famly Bible in the course of a few yeans who _r W *I to de,ete nai »<» °f those The not inch 'ded in srSSsaaawa culty. Unless the officer h_l 1 m \ knowledge that the __ " P e «onal on w« TUTI r,1 l ° nfid district the nameco_l 4 (l n ot l, ?f r l „ eft *_ This was a physicalHm^^ST*" 4 big borough, and the Jff**J when the power to a_tom.tlc.lly p ££ the rolls by means of an election 3 be reinstated. The printing ofVrfi at any time.meant . considerable _* pence, but the cost wae goinj_ to fc. unnecessarily .dded to by of the name, of a Urge m_sb-_ of Z sons who had removed from the di. trict. vm