LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 21, 24 July 1940, Page 6

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

POSITION DURING WAR

POSTPONEMENT SUGGESTED

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, July 23. The opinion of local body associations as to whether local authority elections should be postponed during the war, is being sought by the Minisr ter of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry, to enable Cabinet to reach a decision on the question. The Auckland Harbour Board decided, after considerable discussion, to refer the matter.to the board in committee, with power to act. The secretary of the Harbours Association of New Zealand, Mr. A. G. Barnett, forwarded to the board a copy of a letter from the Minister on the subject and asked that an opinion I should be given as soon as possible, either from the board meeting or by the chairman after ascertaining the views of members. In his letter, Mr. Parry stated that local body elections, with few exceptions, were to be held in May, 1941. Representations had been made to the Government that they should be postponed during the war. The Statutes Amendment Act, 1939, gave power to postpone them for one year, but this expired on December 31 next. Legislation had been passed and present representations were based on grounds that it was undesirable to divide the pefple on political issues by an election of this type during a period such as that the country was passing through. Cabinet had given preliminary consideration to the representations, but it was of opinion that, before a final decision was reached, the views of bodies affected should be obtained. His own viewpoint was that elections should be postponed during the war. He knew they were not postponed during the last war, but they were perhaps not regarded with the same prominence as today. They were not all held at the same time as at present. Members of local body associations might be reluctant to give their views as they were personally affected, the Minister added. He would ask them to forget their individual positions and form a collective viewpoint expressing the general mind of associations.