KEEN INTEREST IN MIDDLE EAST

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 1, 27 September 1943, Page 4

KEEN INTEREST IN MIDDLE EAST

Voting By Services POSTAL RETURNS STILL TO COME N.Z E.F. Official News Service. CAIRO, September 25.’ Voting by 2nd N.Z.E.F. personnel and New Zealand members of the services in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Indian commands concluded last night, the major part being completed some days ago. There are still several hundreds of postal votes to come in, including many from airmen and members of the navy at present operating in the Mediterranean theatre, and- New Zealanders stationed as far distant as India, East Africa, Iraq and South Africa. There was no difficulty in recording the majority of the votes —for the 2nd N.Z.E.F.—which were cast under formation arrangements, but the special returning officers’ task involved the widest organization to ensure that as many New Zealanders as possible were contacted. All known Dominion members of the United Kingdom and Allied land, air and sea forces stationed at points ranging from Algiers to Teheran, from Alexandria to East London, Port Elizabeth and India were supplied with voting papers,' and -the polling officers’ arrangements included, the provision of special ballotboxes at Indian Ocean naval stations, Duiban, (Port Elizabeth, Malta and Algiers. ( Special polling booths established at Alexandria (N.Z. Y.M.C.A.) and Cairo (New Zealand’ Forces Club) catered, for New Zealanders detached 1 from their units, on leave in these cities, or in transit on duty. The value of these; booths was well demonstrated when an R.N.Z.N.V.R. officer who left England six (weeks ago and who was unaware that a iffieneral election was being conducted, visited the N.Z. Y.M.C.A.

In addition, a special electoral team tourjed- non-divisional units and detachments in Palestine and (Syria. Indicative of 1 the keen interest in (polities -taken by servicemen and women, many of whom have been away from the Dominion for morje than three years and some. since before the outbreak of hostilities, is the faeti that the number of votes cast in the Middle East constituted approximately 90 /per cent, of the known (possible total.