A REGISTRATION BUNGLE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5623, 27 February 1880, Page 2

A REGISTRATION BUNGLE.

The forms for claims to vote have been issued to the Eegistrars appointed under the Eegistration of Electors Act. This form is an exact copy of the schedule to tho Act, and it is difficult to understand how such a bungle passed the House. The schedules of Acts are often rushed through without much attention being paid to them, and this can be the only explanation of the peculiar Avording and form of the second schedule to the Qualification of Electors Act. Under the old law the claim to vote was very simply arrauged. The form contained different blank spaces, to be filled up with the name of tlie claimant, place of abode, nature of qualification, and description of j>roperty. Underneath was a declaration that tlie particulars were true, which had to be signed by the claimant, and witnessed by another elector or J.P. The new form is totally different, the familiar columns for particulars being done away with altogether. The form is addressed to the Registrar of tho district iv which tho claimant resides, and then reads as follows :— " I hereby claim to have my name inserted on the Electoral •Roll of ; and I declare that my name, place of abode, and occupation [or addition] are correctly stated at the foot hereof; and that I hare resided within tho Colony of New Zealand for twelve months and within the said district for the six months immediately proceding the dato hereof." There are blank lines for date, name, address, and occupation of tho claimant. The form is all right for those who wish to claim under manhood suffrage, but contains no provision for a claim under a property qualification. It is true that there is a foot-note to the bottom which says, " When the claim is in respect of a qualification other than residence, state particulars of same, and omit reference to residence ;" but the puzzle is to define what this means. It is to be presumed that the mysterious words — "or additions' ' — bracketed in the middle of the claim, mean that tho words " and qualifications" must be inserted, though this is not very clear, and no blank is left for writing in. Eut where are tho nature of tho claim and tho particulars of the property to be inserted? Tho form is a small one, aud covered with printing, and unless one writes in tbe margin thero is no room for any property qualification to to be stated. As the claimant swears that all particulars are correctly stated " at the foot hereof," one naturally looks at the foot for some room iv which to write, but he will look in vain in the forms as now supplied. The schedule appears to have been drawn up for a bill wbich was

intended to confer only manhood suffrage, anli to whicli the j>roperfcy qualification was afterwards added, without auy alteration boing made in the schedule. As it is, the chances are that anyone attempting to claim under a property qualification will commit some blunder which will disqualify him.