Municipal Franchise Reform

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2398, 3 February 1899, Page 3

Municipal Franchise Reform

A con temporary draws attention to the advisability of Municipal Councils beginning to move without delay in the matter of carrying out the provisions of the franchise Reform Act of last session. The Act provides that be ; ween the first of April and fourteenth of April in each year the town clerk of every borough in the colony shall make out two separate lists .of persons entitled to vote at the municipal elections he presides over. One list is to contain the dames of all owners of freehold property in the borough, and the otlier the names of all persons, male and female, who under the residential - clauses of the Act are made voters. As to the first list that is easy enough to compile, but some special steps will have to be taken to meet the case-of the second list, land . the time for taking such steps is now getting short, as the lists must close on the. 31st of March. Little or ho assistance can be got from the electoral rolls in compiling the lists of residential voters. In the first place, the municipal rolls must only contain the names of those whose rentals are not less than ten pounds a year, whereas the qualification under the Par- * liamentary franchise is residence only. Then, again, when the municipality lists close on the ,31st of March in each year, they must not contain the names of any persons who have not during the last preceding three months resided within thebdroughin connection with which the right to vole is claimed. Hence it is obvious that the various municipal councils- throughout the country will have to prepare lists of their own. Probably the easiest method of doing this would be for each council to proyide application forms, and either deliver them by post or announce that they may be obtained at the town clerk’s office.)The councils cannot make up lists from the records of houses and shops within their respective boundaries, for the Act provides for sub-tenants and joint tenants, and for the wives or husbands of joint tenants or sub-tenants, having votes. . The Act, as is usual in these days of slipshod legislation, is defective. It contains no schedules of any kind. Consequently if any borough council desires to issue an application form it is left to its own devices entirely as to the wording of it. Moreover there are no provisions compelling councils to announce that the lists are .being mkde up, and that therefore perso. s desirous of having their names placed upon such lists may apply at stated hours at stated places for that purpose. Lastly, there is not a single hint as to what is to happen i? councils fail 10 make up any lists at all. This a very grave error, . .for seeing that the Act does not provide any machinery for disc vering who are entitled to placed upon the lists which the town clerks o' the colony are ordered to make, and that no schedule of an application form is given, direct encouragement is given to councils not move all in the matter.