Special Arrangements For Lighthouse Voting

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27500, 6 November 1954, Page 6

Special Arrangements For Lighthouse Voting

(New tealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, November 5. Special efforts have been made through the Chief Electoral Office to collect the postal votes of electors at five lighthouses off the New Zealand coast. Normal mails coUld not get the voting papers to these electors and back within the prescribed period from October 22 to November 13.

On Portland Island, off Mahia Peninsula, in the Hawke’s Bay electorate, the mail launch has timed its trip according to tide and weather to pick up the votes of six electors. A deputy-returning officer is taking voting papers to these electors and bringing oack the completed postal votes. Landing is extremely difficult at Dog Island, near Bluff Harbour, in the Awarua electorate, and a special launch trip will be made to collect the votes of the island’s four electors.

The Curvier (Hauraki electorate), Mokohinau (Marsden), and Tiritiri (Auckland Central) lighthouses will be visited by the naval vessel Endeavour, whose commander has been appointed a deputy returning officer. Only these five lighthouses out of the 27 on the New Zealand coast have had to be provided with special ser-

vices to collect the- votes of keepers, their staff, and their wives. The votes of men manning the meteorological station on remote Campbell Island will be collected by the naval vessel Tui. which will visit the island on November 10, and will return to Bluff on November 15, after revisiting the Auckland Islands. As Campbell Island is an overseas polling place, its votes may be received *” NeW Zealand up to N °vem-

On Raoul Island, the other outlying meteorological station, eight men filled in their enrolment forms when a ship called earlier m the year, but because of a lack of Shipping at present there ° e dlfflcult y collecting their

in u the glands fruit trade might have been diverted to call at Raoul Island on their return to New Zealand, but are not now expected to because they will be carrying cargoes of ripe fruit, which will not pennit any delay in transport. ■ Th® Chatham Islands are in no way isolated for voting, as special legislation provides for the appointment of votel U officer who will count the New Z?aland and Cable results to ’ ln .. *he Chathams 178 European MS, t r t A lt n?Lt and 82 Ma ° ri 'Western Maori) electors are so far registered, hef™?J h it rS m . ay . be a dded to the roli before the actual polling.