POSITION IN COUNTIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 108, 10 May 1938, Page 13

POSITION IN COUNTIES

BOROUGH RATEPAYERS

ISSUES AND DISTRICTS

While the voting for seats on boroughs in the counties is open to anyone over 21 years of age who is resident, the position in regard to voting for various county election seats is much more complicated.

Owing to the repeal of Section 13 of the Local Elections and Polls Act, 1920, the position regarding the appointment of persons representing co-operative bodies, societies, and firms is altered. The right to representative voting is now governed solely by Sections 12 and 13 of the Rating Act, 1925, under which provision is made for the nomination of some member or officer whose name shall be entered on the roll. Some months ago local bodies sent out forms to companies and copartners, and the representative names were placed on the roll. The position now is that the elector's name must be on the roll as a ratepayer, and the old idea of an appointment by a company on the day of the election is done away with.

For a county riding election any person whose name appears on the roll is entitled to a vote, but he must be a ratepayer, or a person representing a company. The fact that a ratepayer has a vote because he is on the electoral roll does not in county elections give his wife a vote, and the fact that the wife is the ratepayer on the roll, does not give her husband a vote. IN HUTT COUNTY. In the Hutt County the ratepayers are interested in seven elections, as follow^:—(1) For the Hospital Board for the combined districts of the County of Hutt and the Borough of Upper Hutt, these two local body rolls being joined together to make one roll, and the electors having the right to vote on'the combined roll. There is only one vacancy, and the candidates are Messrs. Charles Price and John Purvis. Those on the Upper Hutt borough roll are placed on the municipal franchise, but the county roll is simply a list of ratepayers. If the ratepayer is purely a county ratepayer, he or she gets only (2) For the Hutt Valley Power Board, for the constituent district of the County of Hutt. This district is made up of aU the ridings in the Hutt County, with the exception of the Whareroa Riding, and of a few people south of, Paekakariki Hill. The reason for this is that the Whareroa Riding of the Hu " County is in the Horowhenua Power 'Board district, and Mr. F. W. Vicker- | man has been elected unopposed for that portion of the district on the | Horowhenua Power Board There are i three vacancies to be filled on th Hutt Valley Electric Power Board m the district of the County of Hutt as above described, but four persons h-a hpen nominated: Messrs. S. Blacklej, J J Maher A. W. Press (sitting members) and Greig. (3) For the Wellington Harbour Board. Hutt County electors are interested in this election for the combined districts' of th counties of Hutt and Makara, «ie bo£ ouehs of Petone, Lower Hutt, £-ast bourne, and Upper s town district of Johnsonville. All the eiecto ral rolls of these districts are grouped together and made into one_roll. The Returning Officer is Mr. H.Fi , Petone There are two vacancies, but aMmimtloM, those oi. J. W. Andrews, James Cummmg, D. Mc. Dickson, Percy Dowse, and Georg L< There are separate elections for four ridings in the Hutt County (1) Porir.ua Riding. .This lie? between Paekakariki northwards to the Waikanae River. There is only one vacancy, but two candidates, Messrs. B. F. Lynch and F. W. Vickerman (sutirig member). (2) Epum Riding, north-east of, Lower Hutt. There is only one vacancy, but there, are "two candidates, Messrs, J. C. Greig and W. R. M. Pearce (sitting member). (3) Heretaunga Riding, on both sides of the Upper Hutt Borough. There is one vacancy but there are two candidates, Messrs. S. Blackley (sitting member) and J. W. Jones. (4) Wai-nui-o-mata Riding, comprising the eastern bays between Lower Hutt and Eastbourne Boroughs, also the large area along the Wainui-o-mata Road to Orongorongoj There is one vacancy, but there are two nominations, Messrs. D. R. Hoggard (sitting member) and J. B. Yaldwyn. For the Hospital Board, Power Board, and Harbour Board elections it is a case of one man one vote, but for any of the riding elections electors are entitled to one, two, or three votes according to the number shown on the rating electoral roll. Holders of property up to £1000 of value are entitled to one vote, those with up to £2000 to two votes, and those with over £2000 to three votes. This applies also to the voting for the Hutt River Board. _ ■ The district of the Hutt River Board consists of the whole of the . Lower Hutt Borough, tHe Epuni Riding of the Hutt County, and a small portion of Petone, that is, the residential area east of Williams Street. The polling booths in Wellington for the Hutt River Board election are the Dominion Farmers' committee room, Featherston Street, and the Hutt County Council Chambers. Mr. A. Gearing is the returning officer. There are five vacancies but there are seven nominations, those of Messrs. B. J. Dudley, M. J. Hodgins, F. J. Jones, J. Mitchell (sitting members), W. T. J. Morrison. J. W. Andrews, and W. R. M. Pearce. MAKARA COUNTY. For Makara County the elections are as follows:—For the Hospital Board, the district is the County of Makara and the town district of Johnsonville. There is one vacancy, the nominations are those of Messrs. A. H. Carman, R. Grant, and R. G. Mexted. For the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board election there is one vacancy, and two nominations, Messrs. R. W. Bothamley and A. M. Leadley. For Makara Riding there are two vacancies. The nominations are those of Messrs. S. G. Luxton, James Purchase (sitting members), and C. J. S. Duffy. For Porirua-Titahi Riding there are two vacancies. The nominations are those of Messrs. R. W. Bothamley, Victor Mexted (sitting members), and A. H. Carman.

Most of the county ratepayers will no doubt record their votes at the Wellington booth at the Hutt County Council buildings in Bowen Street, behind the War Memorial, on the ground floor. The polling hours are between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. County ratepayers who are on the Hutt River Board roll can record their votes at this booth, but they must remember that the Hutt River Board polling is open only. between 9 a.rrf. and 6 p.m.