LOCAL ELECTIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22971, 24 February 1938, Page 15

LOCAL ELECTIONS

CONTESTS IN MAY MAYORS AND COUNCILS PREPARING THE ROLLS LARGE TASK INVOLVED During the next few weeks there will be increasing interest in the triennial municipal elections, which will be held cn May 11. In the meantime preliminary arrangements are being made by returning officers in tho city and the various boroughs in"the metropolitan area, present activities being mostly confined to the preparation of rolls. Some attention is also being given to the choice of candidates but, while the Labour Party has already chosen the candidates which it proposes to put forward for seats on the City Council and suburban locaj bodies and on the hospital and harbour boards, other interests which may desire to seek representation havo made little progress in setting lip tho necessary organisation. Main City Roll Closed In the city tho main roll has already closed and is in the hands of the irinter. It contains the names of 45,870 oters, an increase of 1886 on the •otal of tho main roll at the 1935 election. The supplementary roll has now b.cen opened and will be available for additions nntil April 13. It is likely that the additions will be substantial in number, probably approaching the number entered on the supplementary roll of 1935, which contained 17,699 names. The selection of personnel for staffing arrangements at the polling booths on election day and tho counting of votes will not be put in hand by the City Returning Officer, Mr. P. F. Notley, nntil after the Easter holidays. Usually about 600 assistants are required, these including deputy returning officers, poll clerks and additional counters, who report after the closing of the poll to assist in the counting of votes. A Heavy Task The counting is usually a heavy task and this year will probably entail the counting of approximately 1,000,000 separate votes. This is usually accounted for by the great number of candidates offering themselves for election. The issues handled by the city returning officer are the election of a Mayor, 21 members of the council, five city representatives on the Hospital Beard and four city representatives on the Harbour Board. At the last election, when there were three candidates for the mayoralty, 58 for seats on the council, 20 for the Hospital Board and nine for the Harbour Board, the staff counted 1,134.227 votes, a number of these, however, having been cast for 28 candidates for the six city seats on the Auckland Transport Board, the nuadriennia! election for the Transport Board having synchronised with the municipal elections. Although the date for the receipt of nominations has not yet been set, it is probable that April 27 will be chosen as the last day, on which nominations may be received.