POLL IN APRIL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 45, 22 February 1923, Page 8

POLL IN APRIL

VOTERS' QUALIFICATIONS

"A MONTH TO ENROL.

The municipal elections this year will be held on Thursday, 26th April, instead of on the preceding da,y, which will be Anzac Day. Usually the local body elections take place on the last Wednesday in April, but because of the occurrence of Anzac Day this year on that day the Government had to arrange for the voting to take place on the 26th.

Although the main District Electors' List for Wellington city closed on 31st January, applications for enrolment on the supplementary roll are coming to hand freely. There are "just over 32,000 names on the main roll, and the indications are that when the supplementary roll closes, a month before the election, the number of names will closely approximate, if it does not exceed, that of 1921, when there were 39,553 enrolments.

Qualifications for enrolment for the Mayoral, City Council, Hospital Board, and Harbour Board elections are very simple, those eligible to vote being ratepayers, freeholders, or those persons who, having resided in New Zealand for one year, and in tho city of Wellington for three months "last past," are British subjects by birth or naturalisation. A further qualification is occupation for three months as a tenant, or sub-tenant, and paying a rental of not less than £1U per annum. Those persons whose names are on tho District Electors' List arc entitled to vote for the return of a Mayor, councillors, members of the Hospital Board, and certain members of the Harbour Board.

The main roll is now being printed, having only been certified to at last week's meeting of the City Council. When the printing is completed the roll will be open for inspection at various places in the city. There is still about a month in which people may apply for enrolment on the supplementary roll, which, according to the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act, will close twenty-eight days before the day of polling. Forms of enrolment may be obtained at the Town Hall.

On election day three other polls will be taken, but these will concern ratepayers only, and not electors generally. These polls will relate to the proposed purchase of the Kelbnrn cable tram, and the reticulation of Karori and Onslow with water and drainage. All ratepayers will he able to express their opinions regarding the Kelburn purchase, but as the Karori and Onslow water and drainage proposals will be covered by special rates in the respective districts only ratepayers in those districts will have the privilege of voting upon them.