DISFRANCHISEMENT BY THE PRESENT AND PAST GOVERNMENTS OF NEW ZEALAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3169, 9 December 1914, Page 63

DISFRANCHISEMENT BY THE PRESENT AND PAST GOVERNMENTS OF NEW ZEALAND.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Kindly allow me a short space in your journal re the Mangahua County election, for which a very large portion of the electors have been disfranchised by the bad laws of our Government. For instance, a man arrives from Sydney with his wife and two daughters. They have no more interest in the county than they stand up in; the husband takes out fom miners’ rights—£l worth, at five shillings each. Tlrey have only been in the country three months, and they have more power —-according to the act —than the consolidated goldfields of New Zealand, with a capital of £750,000 —three-quarters of a million, besides disfranchising the honest ratepayers of the comity. Just imagine an association taking out £25 worth of miners’ rights—loo—and distributing them amongst women and girls by filling in their names. These miners’ rights are only taken out every threeyears for election purposes, and not one in 50 who use them is a bona fide miner I hope this diabolical and unjust system will be abolished, or give us some other form of Government. When three or -more candidates are standing for county honours, and two members are required, it should be made compulsory to vote for two members, for by voting for one only you disfranchise the other, as on a late occasion, when someone raised the war cry that their favourite had no chance, and that it would be better to “plump.” As a result, one man receives 100 “plumpers.” There is no enlightened community in the world that would stand this. With regard to Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards, all members of the county council should be ex officio members of the board, as the county has to provide most of the funds of the board, and would perhaps see that the money was well spent. The Government should do away with this co-operative principle of spending Government grants, as it is a premium to rascality. Contract or day wages is the only fair thing. The County Chairman should be elected by the ratepayers of the c"vnty for three years, as the selection is often a put-up job, and unsatisfactory to the community. The members of the Licensing Committee should be elected at the general election, which would thus save the country a large expense, and would be much better for the general public.—l am, etc., Wm. Du.,!;.