PUBLIC SCANDAL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1578, 5 March 1919, Page 7

PUBLIC SCANDAL.

A STUFFED ROLL.

Democracy is defeated by a stuffed roll. A dirty roll is the stand-by of monopolists—the last hope of lost causes. Democracy lives on a clean roll. Honest men want dead-heads off, and live names on. They also want every elector on a clean roll to vote for or against the Referendum proposals on April 10. That is the programme of the Prohibitionists. The existing'rolls of the Dominion are over four years old. A percentage of the names are of dead men or of men who have not compiled with the provisions of the Act. To leave them on the roll is to open the door for widespread impersonation. The Government refused to face the task of preparing new rolls and threw the responsibility upon the two contending parties of cleansing the roll. Objections may be lodged by anyone who finds the roll inaccurate in respect of any name. The registrar, however, is under obligation to verify the objection before the removal of any name. The Licensed Victuallers' Association, having no enthusiasm for clean rolls, has done nothing to secure the first requirement of fair play. The Prohibitionists, who have a very pronounced objection to a stuffed roll, have everywhere sought to put every one on the roll who ought to /be on, and to remove all who ought to be off. They have attempted to do their work thoroughly and without regard to the opinions of the people concerned on the'liquor question. The objections thus served the double purpose of removing those who failed to comply with the provisions of the Act, either through removal or death, and acted as an incentive to those whose addresses did not square with the roll to correct their addresses, and not wait until the day of the poll to find themselves disfranchised. The Prohibition Party found in one hotel in one of the leading cities seven boarders and 22 members of the staff with a legal right to vote, yet on that roll the hotel registered approximately 100 votes. The party holds all the numbers if the statement is challenged. Moreover, the registrar of one electorate declares that of over 3000 objections issued only 24 claim to be still residing at the address stated on flic roll, The Licensed Victuallers' protest at the removal of 2976 dead-heads will be thoroughly understood by a democratic, libertyloving people. '.3