COUNTRY VOTERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 6, 7 July 1938, Page 22

COUNTRY VOTERS

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

VIEWS OF FARMERS

(Special to the "Evening Post.") PALMERSTON N.,: This Day. A proposal that in all local body elections for power boards,' hospital boards, and harbour boards; Parliamentary franchise should be given the country voters was debated at some . length by the Manawatu provincial j executive of the Farmers' Union yes(terday. In support it was pointed out i that at present everybody over 21 in j the towns had a right to vote, whereas in the country only ratepayers had that right, even ,wives being disfranchised. The president, Mr. H. J. McLeavey (Ohau), pointed out that a similar proposal had been defeated at the last inter-provincial conference at Wellington as a dangerous move. In some districts there were more men working on the farms than there ,were who owned the farms and they could outvote the ratepayers. Finally it was decided to ask Dominion headquarters t§ go into the matter with the view of urging a drastic overhaul of the preserit legislation governing .the subject. .