MUNICIPAL MUDDLEMENT.

NZ Truth, Issue 416, 14 June 1913, Page 4

MUNICIPAL MUDDLEMENT.

Confused Electoral Rolls and Election Chaos.

That the last municipal elections m Wellington were conducted on .veryloose lines is a notorious fact. The results, as declared by the Returning Officer, were/ most unsatisfactory and unreliable; so much so, that thes'were the subject of a special address by the ex-Mayor, Mr. David McLaren, and a | special explanation, through the columns of a local daily paper, on the part of Mr. James Ames. Unfortunately, neither gentlemen got "home"' on the cause of the evil. Pad those results been submitted.to the test of a: searching recount, such as sometimes happens m a ■ Parliamentary election, deplorable want of system, inaccura-* cies and carelessness would have been revealed. ; , • ' - ; i The first, weakness discovered was the Roll. It had been most carelessly compiled, evidently by those who had no knowledge . or experience as to how such work should be done. 'Names were lef t ,out, whose owners had voted consistently for years upon years. Wives were on, but not their husbands, and vice-versa, though the forms, had been carefully completed and deposited m the office at the same time. Even ratepayers, for whoni 'a list exists m the City Council, office, were not exempt from disfranchisement, while the absence of the names of their wives . was most marked. Names of well-known men were on, who, had died or left the district years ago. ■ These serious errors are caused simply by the want of an efficient system of keeping, the Roll, an up-to-date instrument for elections. At present, a couple of months before ah election, there is a feverish rush to complete a new roll. A room is set aside m the Town Halli and two or three officers, whose ordinary duties are very different from those of roll-compiling, are told off for the purpose of registering new names, and generally producing a "clean" and reliable list for use on polling-day. All is hurry and confusion, and the clerks jare working at feverish; speed. There is a rush to the printer, and a rush to correct the proofs. Is it any wonder that mistakes and omissions are numerous, and that the alphabetical arrangement is very faulty? t The compilation of the Roll should be a continuous process— a "movable feast," as it were — m the hands of a capable and experienced officer. He should, immediately after an election, take the used rolls, and ascertain those who have voted and have not voted — making, at once, due inquiry into any discrepancies that may be found. He should be m official touch with the Registrar of Deaths for his district, and thus be up-to-date with those who will never vote again on this sublunary sphere. The Ratepayers' Roll should be constantly under his notice, so that changes of ownership m property could at once be registered; while, m the case of the wife ' of a ratepayer not appearing, a card should be sent out, intimating the fact, and asking that the necessary registration be made. The institution of an effective card system, such as that set up by Mr. Mansfield, when he was Registrar of Parliamentary Electors for Wellington, would enable all these details to be kept up-to-date; and the few weeks before an election would only require the addition of the names of new voters. As to removals, much trouble might bo saved by watching the columns of the daily newspapers, and, by an arrangement with the Post Office, obtaining a list of those who havo advised a* change of address, for;

the correct delivery of letters. By these means, and by others that would suggest themselves, from time to time, to a real live officer, the work of getting out a new roll— Correct m all but minor detail — would be minimised. **■ ■ * Again, on election day, a great deal of confusion reigns. In spite of the fact that warnings were issued weeks before as to the unusual amount of interest that was being taken m th<j last municipal election, and that the •poll would be of unprecedented volume, the preparations were very ill-thought put. Booths, where no rushes occurred at any part of the day, were over -staffed, while booths ■which were rushed- at least twice a day were not only provided with meagre and insufficient conveniences, but were ridiculously under- staffed. Cases are mentioned where voters had to go to o&d; tables jor , desks to mark the papers,* instead of going behind the ; usual screen. officers and poll -clerks received very insufficient instructions. In ihany cases these officers were old-hands at the game, and required little or no tuition. In by far the large majority* of cases, however, the hands were new-chums, and the' short instruction paper issued to each proved a very inefficient guide. In hundreds of instances, the poll-clerk, m drawing his pencil through the name of a person just recording his vote, struck out the wrong line—especially if there were a dozen or so of the same name. Consequently, when the next roil comes to be compiled, hundreds will be off who voted, and hundreds will remain on who did not vote. : ■ . , ' ■ ''." * /■- .."■■'■* .■'.■■'• • ' The distribution of ballot papers was carried out m a very "happy-go-lucky" style. In a parliamentary election these are, carefully counted before issue, and the returning officer has to account for each one. At the recent election, aY bundle was handed to the officer. Those' used . : of /course went into the ballpt-box. Of the remainder^ some found / their way to We floor, others were convenient for jotting down results, while the story goes that one or two 'found their way to the, street- •//■■' \ ' -\\ ; ■ '■,'.' :\r: \. ; ., ..;■• ".-,.' .-. y ''• '■• ■, ■• ' '■ ■-■'■ '• *'' "..' ■• ; ' ■•' \' v ; The new Mayor has started out on his career of reform by ''ideating* with hat-pins. ' Now, there are quite a number of good-looking ,', young fellows on his staff, who are nbt only thoroughly capable of looking after hat-! pins and their owners, but would. only be too glad of the job. Leave it to them. Let- him \ devote his newlyrdonned enthusiasm to removing what is a grave . scandal m: civil ; government m this town. The important interests now placed m the city's control— arid these are yearly increasing and growing more important — imperatively demand that .some adequate system of ■ recording; the people's will should be devised. In the hands of >a competent man, the matter would prove one of no difficulty whatever. :,