MAORI ELECTIONS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21511, 16 September 1944, Page 6

MAORI ELECTIONS

NATIVE ROLL URGED (P.R.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 15. The need for compiling a native electoral roll and for holding Maori elections on the same day as the European elections Was urged in the House of Representatives to-day by Mr. A. J. Murdock (Opp., Marsden) when the estimates for the Electoral Department were being discussed. He said that many irregularities occurred.. There were some natives on the European roll \Vho had no right to be there and there had been cases of a Maori voting on both rolls. Mr. T. C. Webb (Opp., Kaipara) said he understood a check was undertaken some years ago in the Bay of Islands. It was found that more than 500 dead people and absentees had had votes recorded in thennames. In other case's a man would vote as “Smith,” for example, on the European roll and “Miti, ’ the Maori equivalent, on the native roll. He said the roll should be compiled before the next election and that the social security contributors’ lists should be used for the purpose. If a roll were compiled there would be no need to change the election day. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, in reply, said he thought such a roll would, be of benefit to all. There would be technical difficulties in the compilation, of course, and some persons might not be sure whether European or Maori blood predominated. He believed that with the growing pride of race, culture, and hope for the future the whole tendency would be for all Maoris to get their names on the native roll.