A NICE LAW POINT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XI, Issue 876, 16 December 1876, Page 5

A NICE LAW POINT.

A friend of ours sends us the following note, which we publish for what it is worth, and add a few words of comment below : — "I notice by clause 51 of tho Counties Act that for the purposes of the first election the County electors Bhall be, ' Every perjon who is entitled for the time being to rote at a Eoad Beard eUction ;' and by clause 61, 'That every elector ' (with certain exceptions) ' shall be qualified to be a Councillor.' To discover, therefor*, who are qualified either as electors or councillors we are obliged to turn to clause 14 of the Roads Act, 1872, where we find that

| every ratepayer is entitled to vote provided he shall havo paid all rates which he shall have been liable to pay at the time "of the election. Moral : Pay your rates— those who wish to vote at. the forthcoming elections." In our opinion this is absurd, for it by 'no means follows that because a man has not i paid his road rates he shall not be allowed to i vote m an election involving education, police. i rivers, benevolent institutions, and a variety of other matters. In practice we imagine Returning Officers will not trouble themselves to ascertain whether a voter's rates are 1 paid or not, relying on the evident intention of -the Legislature as shown by clause 40 of the Counties Act, m winch it states that " every person of the full age of 21 years : whose name appears on the electors roll of a riding shall be a county elector so long as such roll is m force." At the same time we may say that we have reason to believethere is not one person m two of the adjoining Counties who has paid rates due amounting to £5, and it will be as well that intending candidates and their nominators should wbe beyond dispute.