The press. MONDAY MARCH 31, 1879.

Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 4265, 31 March 1879, Page 2

The press. MONDAY MARCH 31, 1879.

A Eotai. Commission is at present sitting in the Bay of Islands electoral district, inquiring into " an alleged impropriety" in making up the electoral roll of tho Bay of Islands. At the time of the occurrence we referred briefly to the matter in these columns. It may be well however to state the facts of the case, so far as they have yet been made public, in order to show the great anxiety of the present Government to keep the electoral rolls of the colony pure and uncorrupted. The Bay of Islands district is inhabited by a mixed population of Europeans and Maoris. The property owned by the latter is partly freehold and partly owned by tribes in common. Under the law as it at present stands, a Native if he is a freeholder, a householder, a leaseholder, or a ratepayer, can claim to have his name placed on the rolL But the right to vote on a tribal ownership has always, till last year, been disallowed. Then, however, four hundred Maori voters were placed on the roll, and the European electors there completely swamped. It was not the first time that the attempt had been made. In 1876, after the election, the defeated candidate Mr. Lundon, petitioned tho House of Representatives on the subject. The Public Petitions Committee inquired into the matter and reported as follows :— "Tho petitioner states that* fn 1874, 800 " duly attested claims by persons entitled " to vote at the election of a member to " represent the district in the House were " lodged with the Seturning Officer, " within the time prescribed by law. " That petitioner's brother, Mr. P. Lun- " don, was the attesting witness to 156 " of the said claims. That Mr. Williams, <( the Returning Officer of the district, " objected to and disallowed 155 of the > " claims so attested by Mr. Lundon. That |" in 1875 the said Returning Officer j '•' objected to the claims of persons claim- " Lag to be entitled to vote as aforesaid " after tiie expiration of the time allowed " by law for making such objections." The Committee recommended that an impartial and competent person should make a local inquiry and report. Such inquiry was held, and the conclusion arrived at was that "Mr. Lundon failed " to .adduce any testimony whatever in " support of, or from which _ to obtain " even a colouringjaf justification for, his " rashness in advancing ' charges of " this serious nature, virtually attack"ing tha .'character of an officer "who, in the conscientious fulfil*":ment jql Jus duties as guardian of " the public interests, was endeavouring " to preserve' the purity and integrity of " the electoral roll of his district, and " who acted throughout in strict com- " pliance with the- requirements of the " law." . -Nothing daunted by his failure Mr. Lundon. persevered. Last year he got 400 Maori claims brought forward, and, thanks to the friendly assistance of tbo Goverament, hs was .mow successful that tan./" It wa& arranged, or, at.all evento,

things so happened, that Mr. Williams was called on to resign the day before the Revision Court was to be held. He resigned accordingly. Mr.Tole, who admitted to Parliament tistst he had telegraphed three dayaljaefore the sitting of the Court to the'savernment, "Has Mr> "",WiUiams beffltiT-HliiHßissed; very int*portant," c ap]M»»ed as the professional advieeriortJife He pleaded the fact of Mr. 'Williams , dismissal as a bar 4o the prosecution of the objections against the £$«ima of lie clients. He maintained that,- as the Iteturning' Officer who had objected to the names had resigned his office, the objections could hot be" sustained. His objection was "held by the | GouEt,ta.be,good.. No wonder then that he looked - .upon the dismissal of Mr. Williams 'as " very important." The , result of .this actiop was that the claims of 400 Maoris to be j>laced upon the roll 1 were admitted, although exactly. gimilar claims had been heard in open Court and rejected' by the same' Revising Officer on a former occasion. Ijaet year, however, he felt himself forced to admit them on account of the action of the Government. The matter, of course, did not end there. It was brought before Parliament. A petition from a number of Natives whose names appeared on the list as new Selectors, was,, presented to the Hense of Representatives, and was referred to the Native Affairs Committee. That committee, after due consideration, reported:— ■ That in the opinion ef the committee the Gbvernmect was justified in requiring Mr E. Williams, fche brother of Mr 3. Williams, M.H.R., to resign his position of Begietration and Returning Officer for the electorate which hii brother, -M? J. Williame, represents ■in this House, and that in similar cases a similar ooune ahould be puraued. That the €K>Ternmenfc should without delay, and,;if possible, daring the present session, take steps to cause an inquiry within the district by Boyal Commiseion into the charges made in the petition of alleged improper practices in tho making of claims to vote for the electorate of the Bay of Islands, r , That such comrciesion should be composed of persons not being officers of the Government, residents, or owners of property in the district, or having the right to vote therein. • : : .■■- '~ .■. ■... ; :•■ /;/■•; ■ ■ , From the above report it will be seen that the Committee saw no impropriety in the course the Government took in dismissing Mr. Williame. We attach no great importance to the decision, nor do we think the public will either. It may, certainly; be better thai? the brother of the member for a district should not be the Registration and Returning Officer for it. But nothing can justify the action of the Government in dismissing Mr. Williams the day before the Revision Court sat, in order that he might be prevented from prosecuting objections to bogus claims which' the law directed him to make. As regards the other part of the Committee's report, a Royal Commission has been appointed, add is now taking evidence. Reports of its proceedings from time to time in the Auckland Herald, and reveal a remark-; able state of things. Wβ have one Maori deposing that he "never saw the application "to be placed on the roll now produced '•purporting to be signed by himself. "No snch document had ever reached " him, or been placed before him." Another deposed that "his name was " written to the claim to vote at HoM- " anga in his absence, and without his " consent. He did not know who wrote -'it.' , . Another stated that "at the re- ■' quest of Mr. Patrick Lundon, he, and " Horeinai Tβ Ara, at Pikiwahine, Hold- " anga, signed a number of names to '■". applications to have them placed on the "electoral roll; Raniera Whararau, the " attesting witness, was not present." And so on. - Until all the evidence is before us, however, it would be impossible to pronounce a final opinion on the subject. Enough, however, has already been brought to light to justify the suspicion generally entertained that through the action of the Government in dismissing Mr. Williame, a number of votes have been placed on the Bay of Islands electoral roll by means of false claims and forged signatures.