The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, October 24, 1908. GENERAL ELECTION FIGURES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 439, 24 October 1908, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, October 24, 1908. GENERAL ELECTION FIGURES.

The advance sheets of the Official Year Book for 1908 contain some interesting figures in regard to the General Election of 1905. The total number of persons on the rolls was 476,473, and the number who recorded their votes was 396,657, or 83.25 per cent, of the number on the rolls. The number of men on the rolls was 263,597, and of these 221,611, or 84.07 per cent, voted. The privilege of the franchise was freely exercised by the women, who voted to the number of 175,046, or 82.23 per cent, of the females on the rolls, while in 1902 there were 138,565 who voted, giving the lower proportion of 74.52 P er cent. So that (assuming the figures to be correct) there is evidence of a greater willingness now ou the part of women to go to the poll than was formerly the case. In 1853 the number of electors to each member was 160, while in 1905 it was 6,269. At the same rate of progress 55 years hence, there would be roughly 244,491 electors to each member, assuming that the number of members is not increased.