ELECTORAL CENSUS BUNGLE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 260, 20 October 1911, Page 5

ELECTORAL CENSUS BUNGLE.

DIRTY ROLLS A PROBABLE REST LT. INSTRUt TIONS T<> REGISTRAR. fBY TKi £(.RACH »PH I-VII (Own Correspondent). Wellington. Oct. IS*. Efforts to remedy the Bungle caused by the failure of the electoral census have not jet mi< < ceded nt a satisfactory adjustment of the position. In the House of Representatives yesterday Mr. W . I'. Massey (leader of the Opposition) said that he had re. cited a telegram from Christchurch protesting that an at tempt was made l>y the (.>>\ein merit to retain U»*» names on eadi electoral roll improperly as a re; ,dt of the bungle over the electoral census. The telegram com hided : "Dirty rolls a positive danger. Do..r wide open for impersonations. Mr. Massey asked the Prime Minister whether this statement was approximately correct, ami. if so. what steps were being taken to remedy the position. Sir Joseph Ward replied that the telegram was from the Rev. R. S. Gra.. Similar telegrams had >een received bv himself and other members. The position was that to meet the difficulty which had arisen in connection with the nonreturn of the census papers instructions had Wen given to include the names of 'all to whom census papers had been sent, but the registrars hail been instructed to remove all names of those who had no right to be kept on. Mr. Gray's statement protesting against the Government putting a thousand people on the roll in each electorate who had no right to be there was absolutely contrary to the fact. Definite instructions had been

given that the names of persons not qualified to vote should be removed from the rolls. There would not be an excess number upon any of the rolls. Mr. W. Buchanan (Wairarapa) asked whether the Prime Minister’s instructions were being carried out. Sir Joseph Ward said he would look into the matter. He had no doubt that the rolls would be all right. Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) expressed the opinion that the difficulties that had now arisen were largely due to the obtuseness of the registrars. He mentioned an instance in which the names of persons whom the registrar knew were dead had been restored to the rolls. Mr. Gray’s telegram suggested that the registrars were still dubious as to what they should do. Sir Joseph M ard : T shall see that the instructions are made perfeetly dear to them. In the House this afternoon Mr. Massey asked the Prime Minister what was the result of his enquiries as to the state of the rolls in connection with the promise he made following the reading of the telegram yesterday from the Rev. Mr.

Gray, of Christchurch. His reason ’Afor asking was that he had just received another telegram firm the - same gentleman, which read as follows:- Made further inquiries, which confirm absolutely my telegram of yesterday. Registrars are acting on instructions that all names be restored. Registered letters failed to find ISW persons in Christchurch South. 1200 in Aon. I.too in Christchurch East, and (>oo in Riccarton. The electoral census v.as taken over only a portion of Riccarton. Christchurch North is in a peculiar position. The by-election de layed the sending cut of notices of objection, and when general instructions came to stop purging the letters were never published.” Sir Joseph Ward said he had made inquiries from the head of the department and hail found that electors who were dead < r who had left the district were being struck off the rolls. The sender of the telegram was quite wrong in his assumption. Definite instructions were' given to hair that done. It was rather to be regretted that people did not wait until they found the rolls were in the position he (Sir Joseph Ward) had instructed that they should Be put in. Mr. Poole : Some of the registrars mav have mistaken their instructions.

Sir Ju-rph Want: S-n.e may; I don't know. Mr. Pool. : It is :t v. r v serious matter if they have. Sir Joseph Wart! said the whcle matter was receiving attention. The asrinaption that things were geiug to he as stated in the telegram was not the ease. Instructions had been given as before, and the ret gistrars were to have any assistant’- 1 they required to cany them out. In reply to Mr. Herdman, the Prime Minister said the provision for a census in that year's Act would be repealed this session. The bill was before the House. The principle of an electoral census had turned out to be a mistake in practice. The department was ding everything now as if the provision was not law. He deprecated the bombardment telegrams that were being sent to members. It would have been a good thintg if the gentleman referred to had sent an official telegram to him instead «•(’ doing that.