ELECTORAL LAWS IN DOMINION

Southland Times, Issue 23793, 15 April 1939, Page 8

ELECTORAL LAWS IN DOMINION

COMPLETE OVERHAUL SOUGHT LABOUR CONFERENCE’S RECOMMENDATION (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 14. A complete overhaul of the parliamentary and. local body electoral laws was recommended to the annual conference of the New Zealand Labour Party by one of the general committees set up to consider the remits. The recommendation, which was adopted by the conference, set out the following instances in which revision of the electoral laws was necessary: A purging of the rolls; that postal votes should be accepted at any booth of any electorate; that the question of mechanical aids for voting should be inquired into by the Minister; that the party represented by the candidates should be stated on the ballot papers, this to apply to local body elections only; that the question of holding the Maori elections on the day of the General Election should be referred to the Maori advisory council of the Labour Party. It was also recommended and approved that parliamentary franchise be used for all local body elections including postal and absentee voting, that all local body elections be held on a Saturday, that employees may be candidates, that the question of the non-payment of rates disfranchising the elector be referred to the Minister of Internal Affairs for careful consideration before action was taken, and that the question of payment for the services of local body members be referred to the Minister for his favourable consideration.