CONDUCT OF ELECTION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 232, 1 October 1943, Page 4

CONDUCT OF ELECTION

NATIONAL PARTY LEADER SUGGESTS INQUIRY (P.A.) Christchurch, Sept. 30. A suggestion that a committee of inquiry, consistbig of representatives of main interests contesting the election, should be set up to inquire into various factors in the conduct of the general election has been made by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland, in a letter to the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser. Mr. Holland raised several questions concerning voting by servicemen, and states: “During the past two days I have received many communications from all parts of New Zealand regarding the result of the election, and many of these inquiries are about the votes cast by servicemen. There has been considerable confusion due to the results being announced, only to be materially altered by Kibsequent announcements of the servicemen’s votes. Most people understood on. Saturday night that the servicemen's votes meant, in the absence of any statement to the contrary, that they were overseas servicemen. Now I understand that the overseas servicemen’s votes have still to come in. In one instance the returning officer announced certain results and he has since stated that he was not. advised of the servicemen’s votes until just before midnight. “I have received cabled advice that no policy material was received by certain Middle East servicemen up to a few days before the election. Many inquiries have been received whether proper precautions were taken to ensure strict secrecy in the voting by servicemen, and whether facilities were offered to permit the presence of scrutineers, and also whether adequate precautions were taken to ensure that only servicemen entitled to vote did vote. In one case a candidate actually received 56 more votes from servicemen out of a total of 1600 servicemen’s votes cast than he received out of a total of 12,000 civilian votes recorded. “I make no charges whatever, but New Zealand is alive with rumours and expressions of doubt, and I feel sure you will agree that it is highly undesirable that any widespread feeling of doubt should be permitted to remain unsatisfied. I feel sure that these doubts should be removed and therefore suggest that a committee of inquiry, consisting of representatives of the main interests contesting the election, be immediately appointed to look carefully into these matters to remove from* the minds of the public any cause for doubt concerning the conduct of the noli.”