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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 810, 16 June 1879, Page 2

The business of the Revision Court closed to-day at noon. The cases m which objections have been made are very numerous, and m many cases of names already on the Roll, wo aro at a loss to understand why any objection has been made where the qualification remains unchanged, so that if the voter was ever quali nod, he still is so. Without mentioning cases we could instance persons who have been admitted to the Roll on freehold qualification, whose qualification remains, and against whom, if the least preliminary enquiry had been made here by the Registration Officer, no objections should have been raised. From the No. 510 to 600 the objections seem to have been made wholesale, and the verygoneralgroimd of objection, viz., " insufficiently described," appears to be' in many cases unnecessarily made. . Take the case' of a man who occupies a block of land known by a certain name, what necessity can there be for giving the number of that block on the plan, there being but one such block — as for instance the Makauri— but wo admit tho necessity as regards town sections, for one is like the other, and can only be readily distinguished by number. Not so blocks of land ; for there are no two blocks of the same name m the Bay. Again, as regards Natives who claim a freehold being an undivided interest m a block of hind. We contend they should not be expected to produce the Crown Grant, or indeed to know very much aboutit ; for.it is notorious that none of the Natives have ever even seen tho Crown Grants of their lands ; and further, we think, the objection made bj' lhe Registration Officer that a share m land held under certificate of title or memorial of ownerships shall not confer tho privilege of a vote till the title be exchanged for Crown Grant, is somewhat strained. We cannot help remarking on the extreme apathy shown by electors who have been objected to, m taking no interest or. steps,, whatever, towards replying to the objections made against them, and had not the County Clerk voluntarily undertaken the defence of those objected to, thoy must all have fallen ; but he cannot be expected to be up m tho particulars of every man's case, and if the claimants do not assist him by attending to cive evidence m support of their claims, they must bear the consequence, viz.. disfranchisement. There is a point to which we would stronuly urge the attention . of electors, and that is by no means to claim a vote under the qualification of ratepayer. The first default m payment before the 31st of March, bang goes the vote. Rather claim on the freehold or leasehold qualification on which tho votes are pnid.Most of the European claims which have been expunged have been so for the reason of default m ratepaying, whereas if thepartieshad claimed on their tenure they would still have been retained on the Roll. The Judge, Mr. Brabant, rendered all the assistance he could to Captain Tucker, who was m attendance

m the interests *>f the electorate, producing for the satisfaction of the Court copies of Crown Grants ; the assessment roll of the County, and other like evidence, by which he succeeded m obtaining the retention of a number of names, which otherwise would have been expunged. Captain Tucker, tells us, that lie 'is very much indebted to tho Court, for the facilities afforded him, and generally, for the courteous treatment shown him.