CORRESPONDENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 3 February 1909, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE

HARBOUR BOARD ELECTION

WANTED, AN EXPLANATION.

(To the Editor.)

Sii, —I pee by the Public Notices* column in this morning's "Chroniek" that four polling booth? only are to b3 place;! in the Wangauui County. There being only four booths allowed by the returning officer, it might be expected that they woTild bo placed in such positions as would give the electors as nearly as possible equal facilities for recording their votes. So far from this being so 1 find the places selected to be Fordell, Upokongaro, Okoia, and Mangamahu, the first threo all within about eight miles of the County office, in Wanganui. On tho other hand there is the whole of tho Upper Wangaehu Road district as row constituted an area of about 175 square miles of settle deountry (mu-jh of it in small sections) and containing 3 townships and railway station, without a polling place. None of the electors in tho above district are within 25 milei of a polling place,, many of them aro nearly 50 by road.

I am contesting this electicn more pirticularlv zo watch the interests of tho country people whom I claim to represent and I was nominated because I had reason to expect the unanimous support of the Upper Wangachn and Mangamahu Districts, where I am known to everyone.

I ptw to it that the position of Upper Wangaehu was pVced before the returning officer and that he was.aske rj to place a polling booth in it. I .want to know now why tho bulk <i Wanganui County electors arc practically disfranchise;! while residents in Okoia cannot bo asked to travel 5 miles to vote.

If I do get on that Harbour Board I will also want to know why the proper steps were-not taken long ago to give Wanoanni East and (-'onvi le represcntat:o:i o:\ it. The Chairman told mo yesterday that these matters Lad not been considered, nrither had tho position of Waimnrino County, which was, till lately, part oF Wanganui County, and therefore in the Harbour District, bc?]i thought of. Leave Mos=ts Basset t and Field to wrangle over the proper way to scour out tho b.-i.r Cr.-eithrr rf them'will do it. anyway) and d;re.-t a god si ream of water thronrr], the I'oard rffieo iif.elf.-— A. C. MANNINGTON.