SOLDIERS AND ELECTION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 57, 8 March 1944, Page 2

SOLDIERS AND ELECTION

MANY VOTED IN THE DARK

WELLINGTON, Tuesday

"In soldiers' language I say that the running of the election in the Middle East was a bad show, said Mr T L Macdonald (Nat., Mataura) in speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives to-night. It was the member s first speech in the House since his return from service overseas last year,

He realised that the organisation or taking the vote of servicemen rverseas was a tremendous task, said Mr. Macdonald. The soldiers ,vere not particularly interested m Dolitics, and as New Zealand looked a small country from the Middle East the men voted for the sitting member in most cases. Since then, however, the returning officers' reports had been put before the House and these showed there had heen a complete lack of knowledge of election matters among the men overseas.

Some 6000 men actually voted without having an opportunity of access to any election propaganda, he said. ]t was regrettable that the election rolls were also burned with the ballot papers and other materials. He hoped that a fow of the rolls would still be available in New Zealand.