MINISTER CONSIDERS POSSIBLE AMENDMENT IN ELECTIONS BILL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23366, 23 September 1950, Page 4

MINISTER CONSIDERS POSSIBLE AMENDMENT IN ELECTIONS BILL

(Special) WELLINGTON, Sept. 23. After occupying nearly the whole day on the discussion of its provisions, the House of Representatives yesterday rose till Tuesday without passing the Local Elections and Polls Amendment Bill. The House put the bill through its second-reading stage, but made little progress in the committee stages before adjourning at 5.30 p.m. Committee consideration is to be resumed on Tuesday afternoon, but the evening will be reserved for the speeches of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. P. Fraser, and the Prime Minister, Mr. S. G. Holland, marking the end of the long Budget debate.

Replying to the second-reading debate on the Local and Election Polls Amendment Bill the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. W. A. Bodkin, said that he would examine the suggestion that the Electoral Department might undertake the responsibility of preparing ail rolls and he would also confer with the counties and municipal associations on the matter. There should be sufficient details on the electoral cards to ensure that a correct local body roll could be prepared from them. If that were so it would be all to the good. Mr. W. Nash (Opp., Hutt) in the committee stage suggested that the Government, should temporarily drop the provision repealing the right of returning officers to use the Parliamentary roll in compiling local rolls. Fie said he knew that there were difficulties over declarations based on the Parliamentary roll, but he thought that the new situation which the bill would create would be a thousand times more difficult. Mr. Bodkin: I know, but you must make a start. Mr. Nash added that under the new provisions it looked as if a voter wanting to vote in other than his usual polling place would have to take with him a handful of voting papers.. Mr. Bodkin promised to look into the possibility of amending the clause relating to the use of the Parliamentary roll as a basis for a municipal roll to see if an amendment would be practicable in time for inclusion when the bill was considered in committee on Tuesday afternoon.