THE ROLLS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10901, 19 October 1911, Page 4

THE ROLLS.

NEEDLESS' IN CHRIST- • 'CHURCH. REG ISTRARS'' 'DIFFICULTIES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) J i '- " OctoJjer 18.. " ''Protest'"strongly 'against Govern-: merit's "over -ljDoo° . na'nfts' on ■ a l ;vfdll.,;6f. ,-per--sbns'. not' found in the ■ district as i a result'"of- cen'siisjCand Siub- . s'equ'en'tlv not-found by registered-let- . ter: v i Dirty Tolls'- a positive,.danger. Door. 'wjjde 'open, for' impersonation R.-:S: : . . " Tfe telegrain'quoted was.received by theyPrime-' MMster, leader of the Oppositioli,' ;and 'maKV other members of Parliditierit"'from the: Itev. R-. S.- Gfaiv, of Christcliufcli'> to-day, and 3fr Masify'gdt' ill U-ith a'question r'egardirig'itj" although lie confused the sender with Mr. C. il. Gray, at one time a member-Of Parliament. ~Mr Massey asked Whether the Government would take stepsvtp remedy the.defect if: Mr Gray's telegram were approximately correct. The Prime .Minister replied that some days ago he had. told the House that in\consequeric£: of tlie- electoral census a difficillty' liad arisen under which a ..number"Of"-persons 1 who had not returned their papers would have been kept"!! in properly, off the roll. He had given:instructiong'that the purging of the rolls uin - regard to those (jersons should iceaseu'and- he had now introduced. legislation -to meet the case, but ber-had-also given definite instructions for the. striking ofF of all names, that, in*:,the:.opinion.of the registrar, should not .be on-'.the-roll. The statement of Mr Gray that lie protected against the retention of"; a thousand names on each roll--was contrary to fact. No roll would be over-filled. ■Mr L. M.. Isitt, said that tlie difliculiy was caused by ohtu.-ene.-> on th" part of some registrars. One that he had- mtit had been under tlie impression that his instructions compelled him to • absolutely reinstate the names of persons whom he knew to fie dead.; He had convinced tlie registrar to the contrary, and had asked him to communicate the fa<-t to other registrars. Mr Gray's telegram was, therefore, rather surprising, unie.:, the registrars v. ere dubio;:-* aboui their duties. Sir .Jo-rph Ward : 1 v.-ill see that the matter made- perfectly ,clear.

(I'er I'iikss Association'.) C'iir:-tclrirch. October 111. The l!ev. I>. S. Gray has telegrapherl to the Premier as follows:—'-Further, in'iujrit- i-i uiirm absolutely my telegram <•( yt-.-terday. Registrars are acting on in-'.r'ietio!:.- that, all names be restored.Registered b'tter.s failed to iiiul 1530 person.- in Christchureh South. 12UH in Avon. IHiM in Christchi:r<-h. tid'l iir I'iceartou. C'hri>;eh.urcli -North i.s in a. peculiar position, as- the bye-election delayed the sending out of .notices of ob-i-.etion and .when general , instructions came'to stop purging, letters, were never posted."