Selecting Election Workers

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 257, 29 October 1931, Page 8

Selecting Election Workers

To the Editor. Dear Sir, —Now that the Government has decided to hold a general election this year, already we are hearing the cry from many \ different directions that the unemployed should be given the first opportunity of taking returning officers’ and poll clerks’ positions on the day of the election. This subject seems to be thrashed out each year, and yet there are some people who still think that the unemployed labourer should be given a job as a returning officer. No doubt some of them would make firstclass returning officers, and poll-clerks, but the majority of them would not know the first thing about the work.

While I agree that the man in the " cosy ” job should not be given the opportunity of adding to his already respectable income, I think the public desire service when they come to a general election. The persons v/ho are continually crying “give the unemployed jobs ” would be the first ones to criticise those responsible for the organisation of the election, if they had to wait ten minutes in a polling booth to vote, or wait half an hour for the election results to be posted up.—l am, etc., SERVICE FIRST.