LOCAL ELECTIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22098, 2 May 1935, Page 13

LOCAL ELECTIONS

pBEPkBING FOE POLL ORGANISATION IN CITY STAFF OF 777 ENGAGED POINTS FOR THE VOTER increased interest being taken in the municipal elections tins year indices that there will be a record poll on v v 8 and thorough preparations are S, made By the city returning T°r Mr. P. F. Notley, to handle tZnumbers of voters. City electors 3 be required to mark live separate rating MA »» d »«"» ».* 'f"' f 61654 names on the mam ana supplementary rolls it can be expected that the deputy-returning officers and heir assistants will have a heavy task, particularly with the counting of the v P otes when the poll closes at 7 p.m During the past few days Mr. Motley and his office staff have been busy eneasing a total of 777 election helpers, most of whom have already received their letters of appointment and signed the declaration relating to the secrecv of the ballot. Arrangements hare been made for 45 polling places in the city area ahd the appointments of .faff include 246 deputy-returning officers, 235 P oll clcrks and 29(3 counters. The equipping of the polling places requires considerable organisation. There will be 530 screens in use, 'an additional number having been made for this election, and 200 ballot boxes will be provided. Five Voting Papers Usually two days are occupied in transferring this equipment to the halls and other polling places and arranging the booths and tables, but as Monday next will be a public holiday in celebration of the King's Jubilee, th<> work will have to be completed in one day. Four large lorries will be engaged from an early hour on Tuesday morning transporting articles from the Town Hall to various points in the city, and everything will require to be in readiness when the poll opens at nirit. o'clock on Wednesday morning. The ballot papers are now being printed and will be delivered to the retnrning officer to-morrow. Each elector will be handed five separate voting papers on entering the booth, these being for the election of Mayor, merabers = of the City Council, and city members of the Auckland Transport Board, Auckland Harbour Board and Auckland Hospital Board. There are throe candidates for the position of Mayor, 58 for. the 21 seats on the City Coirncil, 28 for the six city seats on the Transport Board, 20 for the five seats on the Hospital Board, and nine for the four city seats on the Harbour Board. The method of voting now in use in the city is that by which a cross is placed opposite the name of tin* candidate for whom the elector wishes to vote. t

Eights of Voters

It was stated by Mr. Notley yesterday that he had received a mimber of inquiries whether there was any provision for the recording of absentee votes at this election. It should be understood that there is no such provision, this form of voting being confined to Parliamentary, elections. Mr." Notley said it? was also necessary to advise electors who might have the right to vote for, mayoral and council candidates in an "outside borough as well as in the city that they cannot vote in more than one constituency of the Transport Board. Thus if an elector votes for candidates for the city seats in the No. 1 constituency he cannot vote in the No. 2 constituency embracing the Mount Edea, Mount Albert and Newmarket area, or the No. 3 constituency, which includes Onehunga, One Tree Hill, Mount Roskill, Panmure, Mount Wellington, Ellerslie and the Mangere riding of the Manukau county. ONEHUNGA MAYORALTY OPENING OF CAMPAIGN POLICY OF MR. S. VELLA The Onehunga mayoral campaign was pened last night by tho Labour c.mdilate, Mr. S. Vella, who addressed a iarge audience in the lloyal Oak Hall. Mr. J. 0. Liddell presided. In outlining his policy, Mr. Vella emphasised the necessity for concen-1 tratic-n on the improvement of streets j and footpaths, and he said that if he ' was elected, every road in the borough ! would be sealed and every resident pro- j vided with a good footpath. He expressed his determination to pay all additional labour required at standard rates and to take advantage of the Unemployment Board's subsidy of 35s a week. The employment of relief labour on useful work was merely perpetuating unemployment, and he urged t!ap abolition of relief work.

Mr. Vella strongly favoured the adoption of Mr. H. H. Watkins' metropolitan drainage scheme. If put into operation, it would absorb almost all the unemployed men in the city area, besides putting an end to the present inadequate system, which ho described as being highly dangerous to public health and responsible for the pollution of the beaches. With the object of furnishing * the south of Onehunga with facilities for outdoor games and sport, Mr. Vella advocated improvements on tho Waikaraka reserve. He also in favour of restoring the 30 per cent reduction in salaries and wages.

'f e following members of Mr. Vellfi's ticket" also addressed the meeting: Messrs. G. E. Haydon, F. Gilchi-jst, N. Bent ell, M. Barnett, A. Garside and J'. iSesr,

Mr. J. f. Montgomerie, a candidate •tor the Transport and Hospital m a ' so a ddressed the meeting., Mr. Vella was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence. needs of takapuna VALUE OF FAST TRANSPORT 'A complete hospital is not needed, on y an emergency or recovery institution," said Mr. Julius Hogben, rerernng to the establishment of hospital accommodation on the North Shore, when specking at a meeting of supporters of Mr. J. H. Potter, a candidate for the Mayoralty of Takapuna, «eld at the Gaiety Theatre, Takapuna. last night. Mr. Hogben was of the opinion that tae establishment of such a hospital would not mean an increase in the Jevy, but would be covered by the sav"JS in the present administration. Ho s atea that new life was wanted on the board. Iransport plays nq small part in the advancement of the borough," said Mr. Potter: "While not criticising We present service on the North ' , 10r f> the mode of transit is reco<Tnised as an'expensive one. The possibihty of using electric trolley buses ?s lately adopted in England should be investigated, as the speeding up of transport would mean an influx of Residents to tiie district 4 I ■ > ' , ' ' ' ■ ".