THE COLONIST PUBLISHED DAILY NELSON, FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1887. REGISTRATION OF ELECTORS.

Colonist, Volume XXX, Issue 4855, 8 July 1887, Page 3

THE COLONIST PUBLISHED DAILY NELSON, FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1887. REGISTRATION OF ELECTORS.

Some difficulty has been apprehended as to the registration of voters for tho recently defined electoral districts, it being argued that many claims may be refused by tho Registration Officers on the ground that the attesting elector is not an elector of the new district. With regard to claims -witnessed' by the Registration Officer or a Justice of the Peace, there is, of course, no doubt, but, supposing the claim of a resident in the new WaimeaPicfcon electorate was witnessed by an'elector of the old Waimea seat, whose qualification is in respect. to residence or property at Wakefield, it has been argued, that the witness, not being an ?• elector of the district," the claim is invalidated. The point is a nice one, but we have been shown a telegram from the Under-Secretary, which places the matter at rest. He says: " The constitution of the new districts does not take effect until the expiry of the existing Parliament, therefore until the dissolution the old districts remain in existence, and all names then found on existing rolls will be transferred to new rolls, but with regard to claims lodged but not dealt with by the Begnfaaif prior to the. dissolution, all such

must be renewed after tne newdistricts cqme into existence. Claims: made now pan -be attested by the electors of the existing dis? trict, and when me new districts come into existence claims can be attested by the electors of those districts." ■.'••!■ '"■; ■ .-. • .-• ; ■•'■" ; The .clear course then is to send in at once all claims, attested by electors of ; lhe old dis~{ tricts, to the Begistration Officer of the district, and it would be well to send them through an agent, so that in case of there being any irregularity, the same be rectified in sufficient time. We may state that the Begistration Officer for Nelson City is Mr J, T. Catley; for Waimea-Picton also Mr -J. T. Catley,-of Nelson; for th'o Ihangahua, MrH. Lucas, of Eeeftoii; for Motueka, Mr 0.. F. "Wilson, of Motueka; for the-Buller, Mr Selling, ot Westport. After the dissolution the new districts will come formally into existence, and all claims received after that time will have to be attested by an elector of the district for which, the person signing the same claims tohave the right to vote—unless it be attested by a Justice of the Peace or the Eegistration Officer. Those living in the parts of each electorate more remote from the residence of the Beturning Officer of same, should especially see that their claims are sent in as early as possible, and they should, where possible send them through an agent who. will see that they are in proper form It is only now that the new Bepresentatipn Act is. coming into force that the difficulties incidental to the change are heiug discovered, and the Opposition, in having forced a dissolution at this time, have much to answer for. However, the voice of the people has to be taken, and notwithstanding their desire to secure the early assembling of the new Parliament, it is the duty of the Government to see that all the Jurors are in their places. It will therefore bo impossible to unduly hasten on the elections, for after the rolls are published they should each be exhibited j throughout the"electorate, in order to provide ■ against electors being omitted, for should any J who have claimed be left out the verdict arrived at may not even be that of a majority. The rolls will need to be kept open for a. month j after they are published before the writs are issued, or there is no doubt many will lose the right of voting, and even a month will be insufficient to communicate between some places. If, however, claims are sent in at once, and the Eeturning Officers do their best to get the names on the right rolls, the difficulties will at least be much lessened. The Buller and West Coast Mail Service.—Owing to the floods the Buller and West Coast coach has been stuck up. No coach arrived last evening, and in consequence there will be no coach leaving Nelson j before Monday next. The Queen's Gabdens.—lt is desirable to! point out that as*the winter is passing rapidly awiy, and with it the tima for planting trees j and shrubs, the work of forming the Queen's Gardens must not be long delayed. We believe that something approaching £200 has been subscribed for the work, but as the City Council commenced the drainage of the, Eel Pond Eeserve, and as it is necessary that the work of forming the gardens should be entrusted to someone, it would, we think, be well that the Corporation should take the undertaking in hand. If a Committee of the City Council were appointed and entrusted with the work, at the same tima being given authority to expend a sufficient sum to commence with, to decide upon a plan of action,jand to accept tbe necessary tenders for the work, the whole I thing would fsoou bs in training, and probably this course, would prove the most acceptable generally. We hope that' some step will be taken at the meeting of the Council, to be held this evening, but would suggest in the event of the work being deputed to a Committee, that the subscribers to the fund and the public should in due time be informed as to the general features of the plan about to be adopted. A cable message has been received to the effect that the annual general meeting of the members of- the Golonial Mutual Life Assurance Society was held at the principal office, Melbourne, and giving a brief resume of the results of the past year's operations, which 'were as follow: — During the- year 3994 policies were issued assuring a total sum of £1,305,000, the new annual premium income upon which amounts to £37,138, a larger amount of new business than has hitherto ever been transacted in any previous year during the history of the Society. The total funds now amount to about £050,000, aud the annual income exceeds a quarter of a million. Henby Ward Beecher on Early Mabeiages.—" Early marriages are the salvation of young men, and if a young women does not love you enough to go down and live humbly with you, and help you to work your way up, she does not love you—leave the torment to somebody else. But of all things to marry and go into an hotel, or a flat, or any other thing which is not a home, to begin where we ought to end, to know nothing of the generous education of want, to know nothing of that early striving together, there is nothing more demoralising to-day than that. An ambition to stand high at once is an immoral ambition, and one that runs past and avoids this formative influence that makes the best and ripest men. Marry early, marry poor. Let your poverty and your love strive together, that together you may build the platform,.the home; and the household." —(from Eev. J. E. Kelly's lecture on Henry Ward Beecher.) Messes Stanton and Murray, of this city, who left overland for Blenheim early on, Sunday morning for the purpose of conferring I with Mr Sherwood, agent for the Norwich Union in that town, regarding the settlement of the Company's losses by the recent fires, returned home on Wednesday afternoon, after a brief but pleasant visit to the Wairau. • They describe the road as being somewhat heavy in the Eai Valley, and also between Dillons' Pelorus Hotel and Havelook, but nevertheless, in very fair order for time of the year. Considering' that the trip was accomplished in an ordinary two horse covered-in waggonette, and that out of the eighty-two hours the travellers were absent, twenty were i passed in Blenheim, they made good time indeed there and back. They relate that although such a clean sweep has been made in the very heart of Blenheim, the towns-people-seem in no way dispirited, in fact, quite the reverse, and that money is plentiful may be judged from the fact that on the afternoon of the day the Nelsonians arrived, the debris of the buildings destroyed, obld on the ground by public auction, realized over £33, and as the principal portions of the remains consisted of mattrass springs, sash weights, and blackened crumpled up relics of corrugated iron roofing, the speculative spirit of the Blsnheimites must be admired. The claims on the Norwich Union that have arisen through the late conflagration, will, we understand, be settled with the usual promptitude of this old established office. WE.notice that Messrs Bisley Bros, have received a large consignment, of English furniture, which is really a splendid assortment, and this, together with Mr Lome's handsome furniture, will be sold on Saturday, affording an excellent opportunity to persona who are furnishing, or are in quest of choice goods.