MUNICIPAL ROLLS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 138, 8 December 1931, Page 8

MUNICIPAL ROLLS

NAMES OFF, NAMES ON

UNSATISFACTORY POSITION

DIFFICULT OF EEMEDY

For many years past it has been recognised that the municipal rolls are sadly in need of purging, and equally it has been recognised that if there are many names which should not be on the roll many citizens are not named on either the maiu or the supplementary rolls v At last night's meeting of the City Council,* Cr. C. 11. Chapman suggested that a remit should be forwarded by the council to the Municipal Association's conference urging that the Parliamentary rolls should be used for City Council, Hospital Board, and Harbour Board elections. Councillor K. M'Kcen, seconding the proposal, said that the present method of compiling the roll was most unsatisfactory, and though a great, deal of work had been done by outside organisations the position was not greatly improved as a result. The Parliamentary roll was the soundest method, for electors were compelled to enroll, and he thought that the Parliamentary roll plus the city ratepayers' roll would meet tho position much better than was done at' present, and would prevent a great deai of heartburning when citizens found that thoirnames were omitted. Part of the city was in the Otaki electorate, said Councillor W. J. Gaudin.

THOSE WHO DO NOT VOTE.

Those who did not vote should have their names struck off the rolls, said Councillor F. Meadowcroft. On the Wellington roll were the names of many people who- passed to a land where there was no voting, and others, ladies now. married,, could still read there their maiden names.

The Mayor, Mr. T. C." A. Hislop, remarked that already there was a remit asking that power should be given local authorities to strike off the names of those who did riot vote and did not reply to a communication from tho Town Clerk. The question of altering the roll itself had been befor^s the council and the association on previous occasions, but no acceptable solution had been found. The Parliamentary roll aid not provide for tenancy and freehold right votes, i.ci, of people who were qualified to vote upon city questions by those qualifications, but who did not livV in the city. The question was one for the whole of New Zealand, and the boundaries complication.' might prove exceedingly difficult. Councillor M'Keen said that the basic qualifications, 21 years of age and length of residence, were the same for both Parliamentary aiid municipal rolls, and thus all but tenancy and freehold qualifications were met. The Mayor said that he was not satisfied that the Parliamentary roll would offer . a real solution and he could not support the proposal.

ROLL SHOULD BE PURGED,

There were hundreds of names on the "Wellington roll that should have been long ago removed, said Councillor -H.. A." Huggins. It was remarkable that the Government, which had been approached more than once on the subject, had refused local authorities the right to strike off such names. In Councillor Burns's opinion no great saving could be effected by adopting the Parliamentary roll. The council should not send forward a remit until it had gone more fully into the matter, and he thought that the whole question should'be by a committee before that was-.done.

Councillor W. H. Bennett suggested that the council should merely refer the point to the conference in a general way, not by a definite recommendation, and allow the conference to thrash the subject .but. He did not agree that the. Parliamentary and .muni-' cipal rolls were on all fours.'

By ten votes to three the council de-. cided against the remit proposed going forward.