VOTERS' QUALIFICATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 496, 1 May 1909, Page 7

VOTERS' QUALIFICATIONS.

UNSATISFACTORY STATE OF AFFAIRS. There are ample reasons for suggesting ; that the municipal, noil is not all tliat. it ,should be. A. olear indication of this •is given in tho fact- that the population of I Wellington city in January last is 1 estii ipatcd. f.t 69,357, and yet tho number of I municipal electors "enrolled .at present is 30,146, or practically half of the entire population, ihcfnding men,..women, aud children. Surely, this: is an impossible, or, at least, a "highly improbable state of. affairs. Additional pchit is lent to tho suggestion that there are moro than legitimate, electors, on tho roll by' tho fact; that on a survey of. ■ previous,'election figiiros-,the iaverago num- ; her of-voters' was something-over 10,000. hat was' 'probably .a; reoord-:number was the voting' m 1808,"when 14,741 'went ; to' tho poll. Against this, however, only 6147 voted in; 1904 and only 8656 in.1907. Perhaps 20,000 or 25,000 persons may claim the privilege. If this is so, what about the remaining 5000 or 10,000? Are they alive or dead? " ' . Many peoplo can ; b<sar testimony as to numftrous cases coming within their own 1 knowledge of. dead persons being on the roll ; and many who have removed to other parts. \ Why are they not struck off? A very large number get on the roll on the ground, that they nay a rental of £10 a year., . Tho preponderance of "RV down the pages of the roll, indicative of residontial qualification, show to what an extent advantage is taken of this provision. , Iti is perfectly obyious that the law'is being ; defeated, and one aspect of the situa-tion,^-tho light and i thoughtless way that some of these voters of questionable qualification regard tho duty entrusted to them. Indejd, some actuaHy boast of their suc-cMsftti-ovasion of tho law. . It-doee not seem that; i sufficient precaution is taken to see whether fte applicant for enrolment is a .DoaTijer. or a reat-payer.' SWli. thero is. another side to tho question. -'Others, do it and no ana blames them, so why shouldn't I?" argues one of the offenders speaking of the matter. "No one seems to consider that an amendment even if necessary, is urgent. Tho thing has -been going on;for years.' Therefore, I take it that if not ..definitely approved, this unauthorised and wider franchise is tacitly alfowed." ■ Last session, Mr. ■ Fisher moTed in the direction of. making the municipal franchise tto same as the Parliamentary. This passed the Mouse of Representatives, but was thrown out-by the'Legislative Council. Intorviaw With Mr. Amos. In conversation with a Dominion representative, Mr. ; James Ames, the Returning mado some interesting remarks on this subject. He said he was aware that tho narcee of a -number of deceased people were-on 'he roll. He knew of tho deathTof some electors, but some: died ont of the city, and thero was no record of these deaths; M-oreover, on one occasion, he represented to the authorities that ho knew of about/twenty wetfcknown electors who bac «lv i, 0 Btriko their names oil th©; rc-11. He then' learned that he had .no power to*do*so. - r An important' point was' that he ' could not compare fte rofls- the various deputy retuimng. officers, after an election so .tfiaWsen if a. deputy made many mis! takes m.l is» counting, there one..to prevent '.or worfd have to'Wd.;good. "Therefore," adfel'Mr Ames, is nothing to prevent you from gomg to every booth and recordine yourwote. I-have-discnsscd' tho. matter f ro . has- '' a o " t,io3 > but nothing presence of the*names of ineligiWo ipersons on tho-roll, Mr. Ames men-tionea.'-tliat be received a number of applications for enrolment from persons stayL at hotek It coald hardly bo argued thai tho - applicants wore rent-piiyers; obviously, they were lodgers and simply paying \ weekly sum. Ho questioned the claims of T PerS °rt'', lfc , P° in t«d out/thai tho Town Clerk was hab:o to a fine of if names were hot included in the roll and the applications were simply allowed tc pass. Mt. Ames concluded: "Therefore wt hayo,put on the, roll, and wo'dc not scrutinise tho applications.