ELECTION NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15767, 16 November 1914, Page 6

ELECTION NOTES.

HOW THE FREEHOLD WAR L" 1 Remarkably little attention i s L £? ; ; in election speeches to the question," f"£ ' tenure. There used to be 2't a dividing line between freehold "** leaseholders at election time a- h an<l ' Government and Opposition' Th betweaa ference is stii; there, but it'* '~', *- , surface. We have still ' * they are fur the mst pail • ". but cause Mr. M HSSCV , t<) utc a ' "*' "*" has put their guns nut'./J" porters of the Continuous f' -.-.", '° n ' S"Pto ta.t freehold, but while .lie C," 8 ' 4 acted leasehold the fr«hoV mme nt no progress. Mr. J en „ inc «' 1 m»d e mg to regain the Taumariu ■■ J* ***- he lost three ears „„„ <~•'' i Wh ' c!l the other day" that }■■■■ ]-. '~!., ° qWntl J a freeholder, ho he ' :*' ■,"',• *'**?' Wa,s > hut the electors of Tai'ni/rl.- '"? ' 1<? *"• move Mr. Jci . nillg , aild " «to r t . in his place before thvv • r ' '*-* Had Mr. Jennings gone'teik and JuT 5101- ' gone back the member 'V,- I, "'* pirt y wonJa still have been an ,'•'..., aranni holder, and (he farmers !> J"* had the leasehold '~.-. R.i Z, ," hav *. every land sal,. Jt j, ,•' r"- « u m a ' J ' ' - ' ir •■ 'lit thp T maranud electors jrot what . <- c ia Kturning out Mr Jc-U" ' T/ { "?« "<' that if any body of X't,,-'' me'". raJll the things the;, have set the" l, td n ° fe cameo beyond the stage of tall.- th "^ more than a member who »{ : i" " *■' " Ced they need a member -ho ■•■ ; s "!>nort !t; they need a member -ho ••• ■ ; and who is attached to' .' "^ P ° rt ,l ' leaders support it. si.d - ■'" t ,' h0 through. '" ' "'' '° See it

A DOMINANT MINORITY. The Continuous Government"* land poli n was always a case of the tail wawim, 7 dog. A handful of !ea*> :m djirj the policy of the paity. Mr. J enm n , n addition to maintaining h's o , rn ri( £ ? be called a freeholder, rVmr-d ih * title for Sir Joseph Ward. ' i, m „'*' Sir Joseph Ward may be a freeholder £ dc was head of a Government which* f 0 years was dominated by leaseholders and which gave over the land, portfolio to Mr McNab, who, like all other ieasehokC has a weakness for the freehold for h-m i. but thinks th, leasehold good J?* everybody else. This was all that ™ Josepn Ward, Mr. Jennings, and the other freeholders m the party did for the farme* Ihey were never realy driven into the lobby, compelled to give a final " ave or "no" for leasehold or freehold till Mr Massey came into office. Then th- l eMc holders who had for years shaped the land policy of the country could 'onlv muster 17 votes to Mr. Massey'* 43. Was there ever a clearer case of the tail wagging the dog? Is it any wonder that Reformers tell us of the danger of law-abiding Sir Josepn Ward being led my the nose bv the unattached members of his party, who snap their fingers at the law' The lease holders did it, The firebrands who claim to resent Labour may be as skilful at handling the political strings as the leaseholders were. DATE OF THE ELECTIONS. The absence of any official warning increases the difficulty of forecasting the date of the genera] election. No other guidance is available than a remark bv the Prime Minister a few weeks ago thai polhng-day would be earlv in December' and the fact that it is generally nearer the beginning than the middle "of the month. There was some reason for anticipate th:.t the first Wednesday in th» month would be selected, but apparently the polls will not be taken until December 9. Ihe writs are returnable in 28 days, and a week is usually allowed to the returning officers to complete their reurns and forward the endorsed writs to T> 1 „• Acce V tm Z the Presumption that the polling-day will be in the second week of December, persons who are qualified for enrolment are justified in anticipating that the writs will be issued within the next few days, and that further delay m securing registration may involve disfranchisement. The supplementary rolls are automatically dosed at 6 p.m. on the day in which "the writs are issued. The date of polling dav is named in the writs, and public notice of the date has to be given by advertisement at least 12 days before, including the day on which the notice is published and the polling-day. Nominations of candidates have to be made not later than noon on the tenth day before polling day.

THE ELECTORAL LAW. Several important amendments in the electoral law were made during the recent session. Previously three months' residence in one electoral district was a necessary qualification for enrolment, but the period has now been reduced to one month, and the definition of an elector is now as follows:— " Even- adult person who has resided for one year in New Zealand, and who has resided in the ebctoral district for which he claims to vote for om month immediately preceding his registration on the roll of the district, and who is a British subject either by birth or naturalisation in New Zealand or a halfcaste." Any member of the theatrical profession and a commercial traveller who has resided in New Zealand for not less than one year is entitled to be enrolled, although he may not have resided in one district for a month. Special provisions were also made for the registration cf " seamen with a view to securing an equitable distribution of their votes. Much complaint has been made by members of the Opposition that the'names of electors who have been previously enrolled, and I whose registration should have been pre- ! served, had been struck off the rolls by the operation of the postal canvass. Recognising that fresh claims for enrolment might not bo made by all those reisers so disfranchised.- Paiiiamcit ir>o:ted a clause in the Act wire!; provides I hat any person whose name ha; been wrongly removed from a roll may secure a vote by I making a declaration. This provision has obviously no relation to the. case of a per- : son who has not previously been enrolled and has neglected to make a claim for registration. THE BOGEY OF YOTE SPLITTING. It seems that Oppositionist... have worked themselves into a needles; r.t it- of alarm regarding the dangers i.f vote-splitting, consequent on the abolition of the second ballot. The list of candidates shews that in a few constituencies there are candidates with the magic k-tt.rs S.i). after their names, and it is assumed with some show of reason that these gentlemen may get votes which otherwise would go to the candidate nearest in coi'-ir, even if he be a shade off the true rod. There are also a number of constituenoivs :n which two candidates arc competing for the Government vote. So far ;>s the two partics are concerned, chance is giving them as even a balance as could be secured by ;. the second ballot or any ether fancy •; franchise. We have not ;. a leached '*| nomination day, but the list of candidates g as now known is not likely to be maten- <gsjj ally altered. This shows 59 constituencies ■& with only two candidates, and only 17 in M which there can. be any splitting of votes. ;||| * i ° .-Sis' •11 ill