ELECTORAL METHODS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20086, 25 October 1928, Page 10

ELECTORAL METHODS.

PERFECTING THE SYSTEM. PROGRESS WITH! THE YEARS, MANY CHANGES ADOPTED. A VETERAN'S RECOLLECTIONS* Not many of the multitude of electors who will exercise their privilege at tha ballot box next month have given a moment's thought to the care and labour involved in the perfecting of the present system. The smoothness with which it works is accepted as a matter of course, but anyone who has been behind tha scenes knows that this has only been attained after long years of patient effort. One who has watched the old haphazard rule of thumb methods pass away, and be steadily supplanted by a system that it would bo difficult to improve upon, is Mr. J. Hay, the veteran returning officer of the Waitemata electorate. Fifty years ago next month Mr. Hay began to learn telegraph operating in the cadet gallerjr in Wellington. During his long service with the Post and Telegraph Department ho was stationod in Napier, Blenheim,, Dunedin, Dargaville and other centres, and finally became postmaster at Devonport. After he retired on superannua« tion from that post about twelve years ago, ho took up electoral work, of whichi he had had wido experience while a postmaster. Ho was appointed electoral inspecting and advisory officer, and in this capacity visited almost all the electoral offices in New Zealand. It fell to his lot to supervise a number of by-elections, notably those at Oamaru, Stratford, Tauranga and the Bay of Islands. The Old and the New.

Mr. Hay had full experience of tho work of a returning officer in the old days, and be regards the present system as practically perfect, both in tho registration of electors and tho recording of their votes. Years ago registrars of electors worked with sheets of foolscap on which names wero recorded and added in as they came along. This has now given place to an elaborate card index system. Returning officers made out their own instructions to deputy-returning officers as they thought fit, but now that has all beeir reduced to a standardised system. Tho many improvements introduced have been largely tho work of Mr* J. Hislop, who was for long the chief returning officer for the Dominion. In the old days tho returning officers could do pretty well what they Liked and tho electors would know very little about it, but as far as Mr. Hay's experience goes they never abused their positions, on wero guilty of unfair practices. They were generally picked men, and they carried out their duties honourably and efficiently, often under serious difficulties* They had frequently to rely on tho assistance of totally inexperienced men, bub now there was no difficulty in finding suitable men of experience to act as deputy-returning officers. Booths in the Back Blocks.

In tho Kaipara electorate, for instance, there • wero polling booths away back in the bush, and it was necessary to get a bushman or a contractor to act as deputy. As a matter of fact, these men as a rule rose to the occasion and carried out their duties splendidly. Mr. Hay recalled an amusing story of a man who had pressed him to l>o appointed deputy at a small back-blocks booth. This man thought it good policy to indicate that he strongly favoured the candidate whom he imagined Mr. Hay favoured. He received tho appointment after due warnings regarding the necessity for impartiality, but his discomfiture was complete when the returns showed that all 16 votes from this booth, including his own, wero cast for tho candid date ho had professed to oppose. The present system of scrutiny of tha rolls in the presence of representatives of tho interested parties makes it practically impossible for any mistake or malpractice to remain undetected. The provision for tho convenience of electors in, all circumstances is now very complete* Travellers can obtain absent voters' permits at any booth entitling them to vot« in their own electorate. Anyone sick in public or private hospital is fully provided for. Advances in Telegraph System. Mr. Hay well remembers the time when there wero no women voters. Female franchise practically doubled tho constituency, but otherwise ho was not aware that it had mado any marked differcnca in electoral work.

Mr. Hay has also many interesting recollections of early* days in the Telegraph' Department, where the improvements and advances have been just as revolutionary; as they have been in electoral matters* Tho department was practically only in its beginnings when he joineel it. Only single lines were in use, and he watched with the greatest interest the introduction first of the duplex and then of the quadruplex system, under which four men can operate at each end of. tho wire. Ho was stationer! in Blenheim in the days when the office there handled ail the telegraphic work between the North and South! Islands, repeating every message This kept a staff of 76 operators occupied, until tho introduction of mechanical translators enabled all messages to be senfc direct to their destination, and practically the whole <jf that staff was moved elsowhere. Mr. Hay was there when the change took place, and he greatly treasures a shield containing photographs of all tho 76 operators. Mr. Hay is busily occupied with_ preparations for thu coming poll in Waitemata, and scemsi young enough to assist in many more campaigns.