NEW ROLLS NEEDED

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 162, 5 April 1938, Page 12

NEW ROLLS NEEDED

Preparing For General Election WORK OF COMPILATION Alterations In Boundaries Of Districts New* elector..! rolls will be necessary for the general election at tlie end of tills year as a result of the changes in the boundaries of elec-. toral districts made by the Representation Commissions last year. The compilation of tiiese commenced in all districts yesterday, and the work is to be completed by May 31. Fairly extensive alterations were made in electoral boundaries by the two Representation Comissions, and the new boundaries will apply for the first time at the forthcoming general election for the House of Representatives. Complete new rolls will have to be prepared, for in very many cases the revision of® boundaries places electors in a different electorate than they were in at the last election. The preparation of the fresh rolls will be undertaken by the registrars in the various districts. They will first compare the boundaries of their existing districts with those of the new districts. If it is found that a portion of a district is lost to another, the registrar will prepare a list of the streets or localities involved. He will then go through his roll to ascertain the names of all electors residing in these streets or localities. Transfers to be Notified. All electors affected by boundary changes will .receive notification of their transfer to another electorate, and the registrar of the district to which tlie elector has been transferred will semi the elector notice that bis or her name has been placed on the roll of the new district. In the event of an elector having moved from the address shown on the roll it will be necessary for the elector to notify the registrar of his or her new address so that the name can be recorded on the correct roll. Incidentally there is an obligation on an elector to notify the registrar of a change of address. In the case of notices to electors which do not reach their destination further inquiries will be made by registrars with the object of ascertaining whether the elector concerned is entitled to have his or her name retained on the roll at the address shown. A new electorate has been formed on the outskirts of Wellington. This Will be known as Wellington Suburbs and the old electoral district of that name will become Wellington West. The new electorate will be a licence district for the reason that there are two hotels within its boundaries —the Grand National Hotel on the Hutt Road and the Taitg Hotel. The changes in the boundaries of the Wellington constituencies, alone will involve the dispatch of thousands of notices and the electors concerned can very materially help registrars by advising promptly if they have changed their addresses and by supplying what information may be required. ■ Qualifications of Electors. . After the new rolls have been compiled registrars are required to make inquiries into the qualifications of electors and further notices will be sent to those electors who have not already received a notification regarding the alteration of boundaries asking them to confirm whether they are still residing at the address shown on the roll. ’ Under the Electoral Act it is compulsory for electors to apply for enrolment immediately they become qualified to register. Neglect to enrol is punishable by a fine of 5/- for a first conviction and by a fine of £1 for any subsequent conviction. Similar penalties are provided for failure to notify change of address. Apart from the present revision of the rolls as a result of the boundary changes, there is a continuous cleansing of rolls by registrars. By means of inquiry notices sent out to electors rolls are kept up to date, and they are always thoroughly reliable before being printed for the use of political and licensing organisations. Since the last general election in 1935 there have been over 78,000 new enrolments in the Dominion,' and over 36,000 changes of address have been recorded witbin electoral districts without the necessity for the completion of new applications for registration by electors. Following inquiries made by registrars during tlie non-election years since last election , over 92,000 names have been removed ’ from the rolls, either by transfer, death or other causes.

The following figures show the adjustments made in. the rolls for the Wellington and surrounding electorates between the last election and February 28 last:—

(*) As a result of the alterations in boundaries. Oroua is to be absorbed by Manawatu.

d rt O m c Ort .2 u S *7 ° rt'oj S§ C 9® tx a tS XI'S Wellington Central 1410 1700 414 Wellington East .... 1650 1570 867 Wellington Xorth ... 1422 1707 3«»S Wellington South ... I ISO 1550 477 Wellington Suburbs . 2015 1938 S3-i Hutt 1060 1601 133'1 Wairarapa 543 732 1S2 Maxterton 561 796 269 Pahlatna . 435 tiSl ion Otaki OSO 602 14S Manawatu .......... 584 709 161 ♦Orona 615 5.*’.” 00*7 Palmerston .«•••••.. 1275 1390 1055 Kangitlkei SSI 947 314