PROCRASTINATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 26, 1 February 1911, Page 7

PROCRASTINATION.

THE THIEF OF VOTES. ENROL FOR THE CITY ELECTIONS. Not long ago there was a clamour for the cake of a popular franchise for municipal elections. The Government baked a cake, Parliament sprinkled some icing sugar upon it, and set it alluringly on the municipal table, but Wellington hands are not notably stretched out for it, except* with hands of the Labour party and Catholic interests. The facilities offered for the securing of a vote by adults of both sexes, on easy terms — practically the Parliamentary franchise — have so far re r vealed only an amazing apathy, except in the two quarters mentioned. Labour iepresentatives have applied for some thousands of enrolment forms, and there i 3 evidence that the advice recently tendered to Catholics about the advantages of solid organisation has not fallen on deaf ears. Though advertisements and reports in the press have given conspicuous publicity to the terms of the new franchise, many people, including some who might be expected to be alert, appear to be ignorant or very vaguely cognisant of the law's alteration. Hence the Town Clerk is compelled to make another plea to the public in the Post's advertising columns to-day. Mr. Palmer states that the city's officers have done all in their power to interest the people in the importance of prompt enrolment, but it is difficult to break through their indifference. The old roll of 30,000 names has been purged of names of " burgesses who failed to exercise their privilege at the general election two years ago, and the mayoral election last April, and the list is thus reduced to 17,000. Unless the roll is supplemented with a further 15,000 or 17,000 names, says Mr Palmer, the coming general municipal election issues will be decided by a minority. The city has yet to prove that the demand for the widened franchise rests on a strong, unmistakable basis.