CHURCH COUNCIL REQUESTS VOTING RIGHTS FOR C.O.’s

Grey River Argus, 5 October 1949, Page 5

CHURCH COUNCIL REQUESTS VOTING RIGHTS FOR C.O.’s

P.A. WELLINGTON, October 5. Those conscientious objectors who were classed as defaulters during the war, have not yet had their voting rights restored, and, because of a. wartime emergency' regulation they will not be able to vote at the general election.

The New' Zealand Inter-Church Council on Public Affairs, has approached the Prime Minister Rt. Hon ,F. Fraser, asking for the restoration of the right of these men to vote, and, so far, Mr Fraser, has taken no action.

The secretary of the Inter-Church Council, Mr C. Gibson Young, said tonight that his council had written to the Prime Minister and offered to send a deputation to discuss the position. The council was concerned that those men, classed as objectors and released on, parole, were still not deemed to have been discharged, and, under the Electoral Emergency Regulations, 1943, w'ere disqualified from enrolling and voting.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, on behalf of the council, Mr Gibson Young said.—“ln view of (1) a strong desire of many 1 Christian people that the stigma attaching to the defaulters under the Electoral Emergency Regulations, -1943, should be removed and that they should be removed, and that they should be finally discharged from the military forces; and (2) the imminence of thfe general election, on behalf of this council, I would plead for immediate and sympathetic reconsideration of the position of these men, many of whom are, otherwise, worthy citizens. I suggest, moreover, that our case is strengthened by the intentions of the Military' Training Bill, on w'hich w'e have consulted the Director of Employment. Had those defaulters on parole been dealt with under the Bill, their objections would have been upheld.”