THE ELECTORAL ROLLS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1239, 22 September 1911, Page 4

THE ELECTORAL ROLLS.

The disclosures made in Parliament on Wednesday last concerning the state of the electoral rolls is disquieting. Thousands of electors, it appears, haveibcen improperly struck off the rolls owing to the failure of the electoral census to do what was claimed for it, and the only means of remedying tho position it would appear is the passing of an amending Act. Before touching on the question of amending legislation, it is worth while recalling that The Dominion and many other papers as well as members of Parliament made strong protest-against tho introduction of the electoral census into New Zealand elections. It was pointed out when the proposal was beforo Parliament that it opened the door to serious abuses in the way of party canvassing by persons paid by the State, and that it was costly and unnecessary. That if people took so little interest in f public affairs or were too lazy to secure enrolment they would not be likely to trouble about voting, and if they 1 did their votes would not be .worth very much from tho point of view of the national interest. But the Prijie Minister took quite a different view. He adopted the attitude that it was the duty of the Stat* to sec that every qualified person was enrolled, and claimed that the electoral census would assure this. Sir Joseph Ward made it perfectly clear that the purpose of the census was the enrolment of eligible electors, although, incidentally, it would also assure the purging of the rolls of the names of persons who had left the electoral district or who had died., In actual practice tho innovation seems to have been chiefly remarkable for the removal from the rolls of the names of persons entitled to bo there. The electoral census, in fact, does not seem to have been an enrolling agency at all. Householders will no doubt recall that the census paper distinctly stated that the filling-in of the census form would not secure enrolment. That it was necessary in addition to fill-in the ordinary enrolment form. In these circumstances, what was the use of introducing this additional and confusiug piece of electoral machinery 1 Presumably its chief purpose was to secure the purging of the rolls, which" could bo done much more satisfactorily under the automatic process of striking off the name of . every elector who did not vote at the preceding election. .

The trouble in which the Electoral Department finds itself to-day proves very clearly the unwisdom of the step taken. Simplicity is one of the first essentials in connection with electoral procedure, and it is a risky thing to depart from an established practice unless there is some very material advantage to be gained thereby. It is of course necessary that something should be done immediately to ensure the reinstatement on the rolls of the names of all electors improperly removed. In using the term improperly- removed, we do not wish to suggest that the Electoral Department has not kept strictly within the law as amended last session. But thousands of names of electors entitled to bo on the rolls have been struck off in giving effect to tho particular provisions of the law relating to the electoral census, and care must be taken to see that (hoy are reinstated. In referring to the matter on Wednesday last the Ptumio Minister, stated that it might be desirable to amend the law and that if necessary he would pass a short Bill and provide facilities for every person over 21 years of age and possessing the necessary residential qualification being enrolled. Wo are sure the country, must be very tired'of this constant patchingup of slip-shod legislation, and it will not be at all surprising if this tinkering with the electoral law on the eve of a general electron gives rise to very widespread uneasiness. No doubt the Government is deeply concerned over its prospects at the coming polls, but it is very certain that it is not going to strengthen its position by any attempt at trickery with the rights of the electors in the matter of enrolment; nor will it benefit by the removal of any of the reasonable safeguards against rollstuffing. The public is not likely to tolerate anything of the kind. In fact, we do not, think the Government would dare.to do anything of this nature. What we believe to be the object of this tinkering is to enable the Government to spend a great deal of tho public's monev in the employment oi a large staff of electoral..officials on the eve of the elections, hoping by this extension of their power of patronage to strengthen their chances of remaining in office. They realise that the struggle will be a very close one in many electorates, and every chanco of winning votes will be seized on— and tho public -will foot the bill. Members will require to_ scrutinise very closely tho steps which may be taken to remcd.V the bungle that has been made, and especially to study the possible effects of any legislation introduced this session.