3000 roll forms missed

Press, 2 September 1977, Page 2

3000 roll forms missed

A Post Office error prevented about 3000 City Council enrolment circulars, out of 59,000 sent out, from reaching households in northern Christchurch. But all households missed in the North and West wards should have their information sheets and enraiment forms by this weekend. ' This will leave five days for persons not already on the city electoral roll to submit forms to the council office: the deadline is September 5. Although forms were delivered to the Post Office on August 9, an error in the Papanui postman’s branch kept circulars from reaching households that postmen assumed were not in the city. Delivery routes cross city I boundaries. “We left out part of the territory that belonged to the city,” said the Acting Chief Postmaster at Christchurch (Mr E. A. G. Grandi). •‘Delivery is being given urgency.” Circulars describing enrolment procedures should have been received by households in mid-August. They include information about who is qualified to vote in the Christchurch City election, and forms for persons who have not enrolled. The Associate Town Clerk (Mr M. W. Atkinson) began to make enquiries after several staff members living in that part of the city said they had not seen any voting information. Also, the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr H-. G. Hay) had mentioned; not receiving the circular. Missing circulars were eventually traced to the Chief Post Office, where they had been kept because it was assumed they were 1 not needed. The chairman of the Citizens’ Association (Mr C. L. Sugden) said it was ironic that the Labour Party had consistently alleged a bias, by the association against, accurate rolls, yet the places' missed were traditionally strong for Citizens’ candi-| dates.