ELECTORAL ACT

Northern Advocate, 31 October 1932, Page 2

ELECTORAL ACT

NATIVE REPRESENT ATI ON,

BALLOT ANOMALIES,

PROSPECTIVE CHANGES,

(From Our Parliamentary Special.) WELLINGTON, This Day

Changes are believed to be likely in the system of Maori representation in Parliament. There are four Maori members, but it is known that the Government is making insuiries into the whole system and that it will con eider alterations.

Dissatisfaction with the working of the Electoral Act, as far as the Maori elections are concerned, has been fairly general, especially in certain quarters of the North Island. As an example, the case of the "Western Maori electorate has been quoted. Here 7,793 votes were cast at the general election, as compared with !U7 in the Southern Maori electorate. At the Southern Maori by-election this year, when, in a keenly-contested poll, it is believed that almost every Maori east his oilier vote, only 00l ootes were cast. There are iio electoral rolls for "Maori electorates, and the only records available aro those of the general election. These show that "Western Maori is the largest electorate*, Eastern, with 7, (Kb) voters is next, and Northern, with •">,(>•'((, third. Southern is a very poor fourth. Already the newly-elected member for Southern .Maori, Mr E. T. Tirikatene, has given notice of a question asking for an overhaul of the Act, especially in regard to the system of voting.

It is almost universally recognised that there are many difficulties in the conduct of the Alaori elections, and that several anomalies appear in the Act. One apparent defect is that the Chatham Islands, which for European purposes are part of the Lyttelton electorate, aro portion of "Western Alaori, a North Island seat, for the purposes of the Maori elections. Added emphasis is given to this when it is recognised that "Western Alaori is the largest Maori electorate ami Southern Maori is the smallest.