REGISTRATION OF ELECTORS.

Otago Witness, Issue 747, 24 March 1866, Page 2

REGISTRATION OF ELECTORS.

(From the Daily Times, March 16 )

The three months of the year during which it is permitted to householders and leaseholders to register themselves as Electors, are rapidly expiring. After the 31st March, no fresh claims can be sent in till next year. The system of registration in New Zealand, is unnecessarily cumbersome. There are persons who suppose they should be able to register one day and vote the next. But this, reflection should show them, is impossible. The practice of registration would be useless unless some provision were made to check its correctness, and it is a necessary part of such provision, that it should consume a considerable amount of time. But the time provided in New Zealand seems to be extravagantly long. Not till six months after the last day of claims to vote being sent in, can the claimant exercise his privilege of voting. During that six months he is passing through an intermediate stage of revision ; surely such a delay as this is excessively absurd. The system would be far more rational if it were inverted. Instead of only three months of the twelve being set aside for receiving claims to vote, and nine being excluded, nine months might be given up to claimants, and three months reserved for revision. Of course a yet more accomodating plan would be found in the preparation of more than one roll in the course of the year ; but against it ha 9to be urged the extra cost. A third system has teen suggested, that of at once placing persons on the roll as they prove through the Registrar their title to the privilege; but there is a vital objection to a plan of the kind, that it would open the door to a large number of fictitious olaims to vote. As an election was approaching, a candidate could manufacture supporters by temporarily endowing them with the necessary qualification. It is not to be wondered at, that suffering under the present oppressively restrictive system, a wide latitude of relbrmation is advocated. But in any alteration that is made, it will probably be found that no more than the nine months we have suggested_ can possibly be given up to those who desire to register.

Unfortunately, whilst there have been fewer facilities this year than ever for registering, the registration is of more than usual importance. The roll, which will come into force in October, will be the one upon v.hich the provincial elections of Superintendent and Council -will be based in the course of the ensuing year. We are sorry that the Provincial Government has not thought it desirable to offer that same amount of aid to persons eligible to register which the Superintendent and Executive unsparingly granted when under similar circumstances the last Provincial elections were approaching. It would be ill naturcd to suggest that thrse political Siamese twins, Messrs Dick and Moss, are quite contested with the roll as it stands ; but it is not unfair to ask whether the roll, if fully compiled, would be satisfied with them. We are sorry that it is not in our power to supply the deficiencies of the Government. It is not the first time ye have had to mention that the personal feeling entertained against this journal, which has always refused to lend itself to the manoeuvres of certain gentlemen who deem they have a prescriptive right to office, has been the cause of great loss to the country. It would be instructive, for instance, to ascertain what the failure to give publicity to the tenders required for public works has cost the Province. You may take a horse to the well without being able to make it drink, and you may publish an Advertisement bJiect without being able to make people read it. Occasionally, the necessity of advertising the contracts required has been forced upon the Government, and the ink of the signature of the member of the Executive has been watered with his tears. Bat the great majority of contracts have been privately let. Tint is to say, some member or servant of the Government gives a hint to a friend that the chance of tendering is open, and the fortunate man secures a fat contract.

The necessity of giving the proper intimation to enable people to register was felt to be so urgent that the offer was made to the Government to publish it in this journal at half the usual advertising cost. The offer was declined. "We are not going to make the Government a present of the advertisement, even if the information were at our command to enable us to do so. We are happy, through the ed itorial columns, to give such instructions as we are able to ascertain are correct, but this does not amount to the constantly appearing notice of an advertisement. We regret the information we are able to give is by no means complete. The notice which appears in the Advertisement Sheet is essentially defective, since it does not contain the boundaries of the districts or the addresses of the Returning -Officers. We append the note as it appears in the Advertisement Sheet; and in Monday's issue we will give the descriptive boundaries of the districts, together with a form

of registration, and, if the Government provide us with it, a list of the ReturningOfiicers, with their addresses. The facilities for registering are greater in Dunedin than in the countiy ; and as the members of the Government have not the same rersonal feeling against our country contemporaries as against ourselves, we would suggest that an explanatory advertisement be at least sent to them — something more likely to be of use than the subjoined one from the Advertisemerit Sheet. The following form of application to be placed upon the E'cctoral Koll i? published for general information. The claim must be made on or before 31st Maich current : — To the Eegistration Officer of the Electoral District of A I hereby give you notice that I claim to have ray name inserted in the List of Voters for the said Electoial District, and that the particulars of my place of abode and qualification are truly stated in the column below. I Claimant's Signature b Attested by of the Colony. "Penalty of jE2O for making a False Claim." Christian Name and j Natnre Place where ProSurn.ime of the;™., „„ „ of perty situa.e, and Claimant at full 'If, 01 Qualifi- Name andDescriplehgtb. cat ; olli tionofsanic. c n - i f | : ■ a.— The words " City of Dunedin," or j " EoElyn," or " Caversham." or " Port Chalmers," Taieri," " Bruce," " Olutha," "HampdeD," "Oamaru." [ " Wajkouaiti," " Manuherikia," " Gold Fields Towns," to be inserted here. b. — The claimant's signature must be attested by a Freeholder or a Householder of the Colony, who must sign his name after the -words "Attested by," adding to his signature the word : "Freeholder" or " Householder " c— The words " Freehold,', " Household," or '•Leasehold," to be inserted I here. j d. — Describe the property distinctly, hut as shortly as possible', and particularly state the Provincial District in which it is situated, by inserting the word "Dunedin," "Port Chalmers." " Oamaru Town," " North Harbor," "Peninsula," "Wakari," "Green Island and Caversham." "Taieri," ••Waihola," " Tokomairiro," " Matau includinfrKaitimgataand Inch Clutha," " Clutha," " Lindis," " Manuh'-rikia," " Wakatip," ' Oamaru Country," or (i Waikou lili," or " Clyde," " Queenstowii M or '• Lawrence," as the case may be. The following are the qualifications of voters — Every man of the age of 21 yeirs or upwards, and being a natural born or naturalised suVject of the Q'ieen. 1. Having a Freehold Esta'.e in possession, situate within the district for which the vote is claimed, of the clear value of LSO, above all charges and incumbrances, and of or to which he has b'en seised cr entitled either at law or in equity for at leist six calendar months before the 30:h April ; or 2. Having a Leasehold Estate in possession, situate within such district, of the clear annual value of ten pounds, held upon a lease which on 30th April shall have not icss than three yeuvs to run. or of which he has "been in possession ior three years or upwards next before 30 ;h April ; or 3. Being a Householder within such district, occupying a tenement and residing therein six calendar months previous to 30th April, if within the limits of Dunedin, of the clear annual value of tc-n pounds, and it without the limits of Dunedin, of the clear annual value of five pounds.