The Hastings Standard Published Daily. MONDAY, DEC. 14, 1896. ELECTION FAILURES.

Hastings Standard, Issue 196, 14 December 1896, Page 2

The Hastings Standard Published Daily.

MONDAY, DEC. 14, 1896. ELECTION FAILURES.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrongs that need resistance, For the future in the distance. And the good that we can do.

There is considerable dissatisfaction in the Empire City over the results of the general election. The discontent does not spring from any want of confidence in the men who according to the official returns are declared elected but from totally ditYorent causes. The city is a large electorate returning three members to Parliament. The electoral roll contained the names of over 19,000 voters, and the political contest which terminated on the 4th instant was very keen. The bulldness of the electoral apart altogether from the result of the natural increase in the population is alleged to have been stuffed with aliens who of course if the allegation can be accepted as a fact had no right to be there. But this is a minor point and agitates the electors of Wellington less than the other defects which have been discovered in the electoral laws of the colony. According to the city papers there are about 70 dual votes, the result either of impersonation, or of true double voting. These seventy electors have either voted twice or they have been impersonated by others and so double votes have been recorded. The law provides in regard to double voting that "If oa comparison it

shall appear that the same person has received a ballot paper at two or more polling-places, and if satisfied beyond doubt of the identity of the person so voting, the Returning Officer shall select the ballot papers on which the number corresponding to the name of such person shall appear, and shall disallow every vote appearing to have been given by means of ballot papers so selected."

The absurdity of this provision is manifest. The Returning Officer has to be " satisfied beyond doubt of the identity of the person " but just how this is to accomplished the law affords 110 guidance, nor are there any rules laid down which would enable the Officer to perform the almost superhuman task of identification " beyond doubt " of seventy voters in the short space of sewn days. Herein we obtain a sample of the crudness and bad workmanship of our legislators. The electoral laws were tampered with by the last Parliament, and like most of our legislation this Act was built up by extracts from the laws of other countries. In the New Zealand Electoral Law, a clause has been taken from the Imperii) 1 Act, and another culled from the Victorian law without any regard to their fitness or relationship, with the. result that instead of getting an easy-working simple measure, we are furnished with an Act full of gigantic curiosities and a first rate puzzle for the proverbial Philadelphia lawyer. There are seventy dual votes in the Wellington electorate and to such an extent must the results be affected. There are only 28 votes separating the successful Mr George Fisher from the unsuccessful Mr Atkinson, and the burden of analysing the dual votes or causing them to be analysed will fall upon Mr Atkinson, because it is undoubtedly to his interest to have an enquiry into the matter. Election petitions are costly affairs, and it is a question for consideration whether in this particular instance it is not the duty of the Government to take the initiative and bear the expense. The defects of the law are not the faults of the candidates, and it is seemingly right that the state should stand the brunt of investigation. A full inquiry into the matter is imperative in the publicinterest, and should cither of the defeated candidates fail to petition for an inquiry and recount of votes we think the Government should take the necessary steps.

The singular position of affairs presented by the Wellington City constituency brings to the front the question of whether or not it is desirable to copy the systems of New South Wales and Victoria where each elector is provided with an electoral right, which must be produced at the time of voting, and which we believe is exchanged for the ballot paper. The possibility of a double vote being recorded under such conditions is considerably reduced if not altogether prevented. Furthermore it would tend to mitigrte the evils of minors and aliens being placed on the roll, for it would lie the duty of the Registrar to satisfy himself that the applicant for an elector's right conforms with the provisions of the law. It is perfectly clear from the evidence furnished by Wellington City that the present electoral law requires to be buttressed to make it acceptable to the electors.