GENERAL ELECTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 25941, 5 November 1946, Page 6

GENERAL ELECTIONS

HEW ZEALANDERS IN JAPAN

VOTING ARRANGEMENTS IN RAND

(Official Correspondent with J.-Force.) (Rec. 1.5 p.m.) CHOFU, Nov. 3. l'he 1946 General Election for New Zealanders in Japan will take place early this month, when members of the Second N.Z.E.F. No. 14 Squadron of the R.N.Z.A.F., welfare workers attached to the forces, and civilians on duty in Japan will cast their yotes in the first election since the end of the war. Voting will take place over three days. The exact dates nave not been finally < decided, but will be soon as possible’ 'after a full list of nominations has been cabled from New Zealand. The results of the preliminary count will be cabled to New Zealand in time to be available for the day of the General Election. .Major G. F. Pollock, special returning officer, arrived in Japan on October 17 to make arrangements for the elections and to conduct the ballot among the 5,000 personnel in this country. Careful arrangements have been made to ensure that all personnel are supplied with policy statements from the principal parties in good time before oiling. . ' All nominations will be available at fore polling. All members of. the forces, irrespective of age, will be able to vote. To vote, service personnel must produce either their paybooks or (for men in the Air Force) a certificate from their commanding officer. Any person missed from the rolls or included with incorrect details may vote by. declaration. For Maoris in Japan, as in New Zealand, there will be a special procedure. Persons of less than half-Maori blood will vote in the European election. Persons of half-Maori blood may vote as Maori or as European as they choose, while persons of more than half-Maori blood must vote for the candidate/in one of. the four Maori electorates. The-re-sult of the Maori voting will be cabled to New Zealand in time for the Maori election on November 26. .

After the preliminary count in the General Election in Japan all the ballot and voting papers will be sent to Chofu for a scrutiny of the rolls, and the official count. Later they will be sent to New Zealand, and, if necessary, will be available for magisterial recounts. Arrangements are being made for Major Pollock to go to Shanghai to record the votes of 34 New Zealand Unrra personnel in that city. Opportunity to vote will also be given Y.W.O.A. workers in Japan, and to New Zealand civilians with such organisations as the Far East War. Crimes Tribunal.