MUNICIPAL ROLL.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18902, 18 January 1927, Page 9

MUNICIPAL ROLL.

ELECTORS' QUALIFICATIONS MANY NAMES STRUCK OFF. January 31st is the closing date l'or the main municipal roll, and the City Council's officers arc endeavouring to ensure that it will contain the highest possible proportion of those with electors' qualifications. .So far as ratepayers arc concerned their names automatically'go on the roll when they become qualiiied by acquisition of property, but in many cases solicitors acting in connexion with transfers fail to notify the change of ownership, and thus the name of the previous owner remains on the roll. Cases have been known of citizens who have been paying rates for five years discovering that they have not been enrolled through this negligence. The Council's officers cannot 'make changes in the valuation roll through the mere payment of rates.

In the case of the removal of a name from the roll on the grounds of sale of the property in respect of which the qualification was derived, the Town Clerk notifies the elector, and also requests the latter to advise him if he has another qualification. It frequently happens that the card is returned, marked: "Gone; no address." indicating that the elector has left the City. Ratepayers' Enrolment. In the case of a ratepayer, his wife, or her husband, as the case may be, may claim enrolment in the other's right. The name of an owner of property is on the roll for all time, so long as the qualification remains, but some of those qualifying only by residence may find that their names have been removed through their absence from their homes when the canvasser called. Claims for enrolment by non-ratepay-ers are being dealt with daily, and the staff preparing the roll has had recently a steady stream of forms to deal with. For both the Parliamentary and municipal franchise, any person may be enrolled who has resided for one year in New Zealand and in the electoral district for three months, who is a British subject bv birth (or by naturalisation in New Zealand), and is.2l years of age. In October and early November canvassers called at premises for the purpose of ascertaining whether persons enrolled in respect of a residential qualification were still residing at the address shown on the roll. Numerous Duplications.

Duplications arc very numerous, the main cause being the action of ratepayers in seuding in residential claims. In view of the automatic enrolment of ratepayers, this is quite unnecessary, but this docs, not free them of the onus of seeing for .themselves that they arc on tile to". Between February Ist and 7th the main.roll will be open for public inspection. Tho supplementary roll will close at 5 p.m. on March 30th, and the election will be held on Wednesday, April -7th. The same energetic measures as have been pursued on previous occasions will be used in connexion with the preparation of the supplementary roll this year. , ~ . At present' the indications are that the roll th'is year will _ contain many more names than it did »? 1020. A total of 38,205 was qualified to- vote at the last municipal election ol,bo£ electors having their names on the mam roll, By October, 1925, the number had reached 39,769. 'IV this number must be added about 3600 names of. electors who have been enrolled, # but whose names have not yet been printed and from it must be subtracted about 10,000 which havo been taken oa. This number includes the names of electors who have sold the property ot properties which gave them the qualification. .