THE LOCAL ELECTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20242, 30 April 1929, Page 13

THE LOCAL ELECTIONS.

FOILING day to-morrow.

DOMSNiON-WIDE CONTESTS.

BUSY DAY IN AUCKLAND.

LARGE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES.

New governing bodies for the cities, boroughs, harbour boards and hospital boards throughout, the Dominion will be chosen by the electors to-morrow, when the biennial municipal polls will be held. The incoming councils and boards will hold office until 1931. Being the largest of the four metropolitan districts, the elections in Auckland are affairs of major import, Ihe organisation for the contests is a task calling for imagination and experience, for attention must be given to a multitude of minute details if * he elections aro to bo conducted efficiently and the results made known at the earliest possible hour. Utilising knowledge gained in past elections the city returning officer, Mr. P. F. iN'otley, and his staff planned for the ballots some time ago, and yesteiday they set the wheels in motion by despatching load after load of ballot boxes, papers, envelopes, string, pins, pencils, screens, counting Sheets, etc., to the pollingbooths. Such is the quantity of material required that it will be this afternoon before all the booths are fully equipped, To-morrow morning the officials will have an anxious half-hour making sure that everything is in proper order and then there will be a comparative lull until the evening, when they will face tho formidable business of getting out tho results. So far as the city elections nro concerned, the contests have resolved themselves into questions of men rather than of issues., Especially in regard to tho ''choice of the City Council, this fact has made the task of the electors more difficult than is usually the case, for there are 67 aspirants for the 21 scats. While it is considered desirable that tho electors should I vote tor 21 councillors, the fact that the .votes aro recorded for a fewer number will not invalidate the ballot-papei. In other words, "plumping" is permissable. This is done by voting for as many candidates under tho full quota as the elector desires.

The method of voting is the same as at the Parliamentary election. Tho voters are to leavo untouched tho names of the candidates they wish to support, and to strike out tho names of those they do not favour. This is a clear method of voting, but it adds to the time required to count the votes. First of all the papers must be checked to sec that not more than the required number of candidates has been voted for. Under the old system of giving approval by placing a cross opposite the names of th» approved candidates it was a simplo matter to cast up a sheet to see that there were no more than the required number of crosses at the side. It is not so easy to run the eye over a sheet of 67 names and count the number untouched.

The polling booths wilt be opened at 9 a.m., and, will be closed at 7 o'clock in the evening. Voters are asked to cooperate with the returning staff by voting 33 early as possible and by doing their

best fo avoid the rush hours of mid day find ajfter 5 p.m. To minimise crowding at the booths instructions have been given that only the staffs and the actual voters are to be allowed in. Candidates, their canvassers and helpers have the right to enter the booths once, thpt is, to record their own jvotes. It is expected that the results of the mayoral contest and those of the haroour and hospital boards will b« available between 9 and 10, and that for the council shortly after midnight.