POLLING DAY OPENS BRISKLY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19034, 1 April 1930, Page 9

POLLING DAY OPENS BRISKLY.

KEEN INTEREST IN THE COUNCIL BY-ELECTION.

Polling for the City Council by-elec-tion opened more briskly this morning than was expected would be the case. The city booths were particularly busy in the first few hours of polling, those in the tramway shelter and outside the Municipal Chambers being exceptionally well patronised. Although there have not been any indications of intense public interest in the campaign, it now appears likely that the poll will be unusually heavy for a by-election. Both the Citizens’ Association and the Labour Party are well organised, and each side has a fleet of cars taking people to the polling places. The poll will close at 7 p.m., and the first return will probably be received about ten minutes later. The town clerk (Mr J. S. Neville) stated this morning that he expected that the final result would be available about eight o’clock. Progress and final returns will be displayed outside the Municipal Chambers.

A unique feature of to-day’s poll is that both of the candidates will be absent from the city when the result is announced. Mr H. T. Armstrong, M.P., the Labour nominee, left for Wellington last night to attend an important meeting of the Parliamentary Committee appointed to investigate the question of workers’ compensation. Mr C. E. Jones, the Citizens’ Association candidate, will leave for Wellington tonight to attend the Rotary Club’s Conference. In the circumstances the Mayor, the Hev J. K. Archer, has been asked by both candidates to return thanks for them after the poll. He jokingly remarked this morning that it would be rather interesting if he had to thank the electors for placing Mr Jones at the head of the poll. COMPANIES MAY VOTE IF DUE FORM OBSERVED. Every local election finds some company representatives applying for ballot papers and being refused on the ground that they can produce no authority from their principals. Companies have to register if they wish to have the right to vote. A company that is a tenant and not actually registered as a ratepayer must register on the residential roll. Then the vote can be exercised only on production of an authority, the proper form, duly signed and sealed. The position is clear and has been explained frequently. In view of the recurring arguments on the subject, the authorities actually send out to each company on the roll before an election a warning and a form to be filled in, authorising a representative to vote on its behalf. This authority is good only for one poll and should be duplicated if there are several simultaneous polls and repeated for each subsequent election. To-day, several company managers and representatives who applied for voting papers were surprised to find that as they had not complied with the regulations they could not vote.