BY-ELECTION ROLLS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1044, 7 August 1930, Page 7

BY-ELECTION ROLLS

ELECTORS DISFRANCHISED BY LACK OF NOTICE SUDDEN CLOSING ALLEGED THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter WELLIXGTON, Wednesday. A denial that between 500 and 1,000 electors had been disfranchised through the sudden closing of the electoral roll for the Invercargill by-election was made by the Minister in Charge of the Electoral Department, the Hon. H. Atmore, in answer to a question by Mr. A. Hamilton (Reform —Wallace) in the House of Representatives toda y. In an urgent question, Mr. Hamilton asked the Minister why no public notification was given of the closing of the rolls and, if the usual reasonable notice could not have been given because of the early date of the election, should not at least 24 hours’ public notice have been given? It was estimated, said Mr. Hamilton, that from 500 to 1,000 electors would be disfranchised. Could the Minister yet make any arrangements for those electors shut out to record their votes? Notice had been given of the closing of the roll, replied the Minister A newspaper statement published on July 23 had said: The Minister in Charge of the Electoral Department announced today that the writ would be issued tomorrow. Nominations would close on Friday, August 1, and polling had been fixed for August 33. The writ would be returnable on September 2. The public knew when tile by-elec-tion was to take place that the roll would close at short notice, and as it was compulsory for electors to register there was not the same necessity as before for notice of the closing of the rolls. It was not correct to say that between 500 and 1,000 electors had been shut oft' the roll. Those making such a statement could not be in a position to give the figures until the rolls had been published. There had been 692 new enrolments between the closing of the general and supplementary rolls. Also there had been 295 changes of address. Now that the roll had been issued nothing could be done. It had been found by the department that since registration had been made compulsory there was little need for notice, even if it were given. Staffs in the electoral office had been reduced because compulsory enrolment had proved so successful.