MORE VOTERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23150, 23 September 1938, Page 13

MORE VOTERS

140,000 IN AUCKLAND ALL ROLLS NOW CLOSED HEAVY LAST-MINTJTE RUSH DELETIONS YET TO I(E MADE When the supplementary rolls closed at 6 p.m. yesterday it was estimated that tho number of electors entitled to vote for the candidates in the nine Auckland constituencies at the general election on October 15 would be well over 140,000. In 1935, when an extensive purging of the rolls was carried out prior to tho election, tho total was 125,986. This year the main Parliamentary rolls for tho Auckland electorates closed with a total of 119,607 names, as against 91,976 in 1935. Since then the office of the Registrar of Electors, Mr. J. H. V. Carr, has, been daily besieged by hundreds of electors anxious to see that their names were included on the supplementary rolls. It is estimated that the total number of applications of this nature is about 34,000. Duplications and Transfers However, this will not be the effective additional total. In many case 3 electors have duplicated their applications, and in some cases they have oven triplicated them. In addition, electors 'whose names have been included on the main roll have since applied for transfer to the roll of another electorate.

It is thought that these two classes of applications will reduce the present number of names for the supplementary roll by at least one-quarter, so that an allowance of an extra 25,000 electors for the supplementary rolls is regarded as a generous one. In some cases the names will have to lie deleted from the applications for inclusion 011 the supplementary rolls, and in others they will have to be taken off the main roils. Cleansing the Rolls The final cleansing of the rolls will be done by the electoral office staff in the next few days. The work has to be done in six days at the outside, and from the number of duplications and transfers which have already been discovered it was evident yesterday that the final figures will not be known until well into next week. The different electorate rolls will be affected to a varying extent by the deletions made, but. in all cases the total number on the rolls will obviously be much in excess of the 10.'io figure. Expectations that there would be a la v st-minute rush yesterday of applications for enrolment were fully realised. At times there was an overflow from the office into the passage outside, and almost continuously the office itself was full of people, it is thought that well over (500 electors made application at the office during the day, and 111 addition large numbers of applications were received through the post.

WAITEMATA CONTEST NATIONAL CANDIDATE SERIES OF ADDRESSES Two meetings were addressed by Mr. J. E. Close, National candidate for Waiteinata, in continuing his campaign yesterday. Mr. 11. H. Marryatt prosided on both occasions. At Silverdale, before an audience of about 50, Mr. Close discussed the present political situation and criticised the action of the Government in taking away the freedom of the individual. The speaker was accorded a vote of thanks. There was a larger attendance at Dairy Flat, where Mr. Close gave his second address. He discussed the Government's social security plan and said that under financial strain it_ would eventually break. The National Party's purpose would be to put into effect a similar scheme on a sound financial basis. The candidate also discussed the publio works system under Labour, and said it was a failure as a permanent cure for unemployment. A vote of thanks was carried by acclamation, and cheers were given for Mr. Close. A meeting at Mairangi Bay was .addressed by Mr. Close on Wednesday night. A vote of thanks was carried by acclamation. THE REMUERA SEAT ADDRESS BY MRS. DREAVER An excellent hearing was accorded Mrs. M. M. Drcaver, Labour candidate for Remuera, in an address to an audience of over 200 at St. Chad's Hall, Meadowbank, last night. Mrs. Dreavcr dealt with the national health scheme, and explained the provisions made. Mr. J. A. Leo, Parliamentary Under-Secretary in charge of Housing, also gave a. short address. A vote of thanks to the speakers and confidence in the Government was passed with a few dissentients, and cheers were given for the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage: