THE ELECTORAL ROLL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 20 October 1911, Page 5

THE ELECTORAL ROLL.

FURTHER COMPLAINTS AND A REPLY.

(By -telegraph.; ',l'iom Our Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Thurs. In .the House this afternoon Mr. Mas-s-y, -Leader of the Opposition, asked the Premier what was the result -cf'his inquiries as to the state of the rolls in'connection with the promise he had made following the reacting of th© telegram yesterday from the Rev. Ma-. Gnay, of Christchurch. His reason for asking was that he had just received' another iSafe-gram. from the same gen'tlemain, which lie read as follows: "Made further inquiries, which confirm, .absolutely my telegiraim of yesterday. Registrars ai» acting on instructions that all names he restored. Registered hatters failed to find 1500 persons in C'hiristchurcn South, 1200 in Avon, 1300 in Christ - church East, and 600 iii Riccarton. Tlie electoral census was -taken over •a portion of Riccarton. Christchurch North is in a peculiar position. Th* by-election delayed the sending out of notices of objection, and when igieme-ial' injatanictionsl came iio latop the- purging of the rolls the letters were never published."

■Sir Joseph Ward said that he had made inquiries from the head of the department, .and had found that electors -who were dead or who had left the district were being struck off tha .rolls.. The sender, of the telegram wias quite wrong in his assumption that definite instructions were given to hav.e that done. It was rather to be regretted that the people did not wait until they found the rolls were in the position he (Six Joseph Ward) had instructed that they should be put in. Ma*. Poole: Some of tlie lteg-istra-rs may have mistaken their instructions. Sir Joseph Ward: 'Some may have done so: I don't knew.

Mr. Poole: It is a vary serious matter if thev have.

Sir Joseph Waivl said that the whole matter was receiving attention. The assnrniptkm that things were going to be as in the telegram read was not the case. Instruction* had been given as before stated, and the Registrars were to have the a-ssista.nce tihey required to carry them ent. In re,ply to Mr. Herdimian, the Premier said the provision for a- census in last year's Act would be repealled this session. The Bill was before the House. The principle of an electoral census had turned out to be a mistake in practice. The deipa-rtoneflit was doing everything now as if the provision was not law. He deprecated the bombaidiment of telegrams that Wt-re being sent to members. It would have been "a good tiling i.i the gentleman referred to had sent an official telegram to him (Sir Joseph WardJ instead of doing that.