ALTERATION IN METHOD OF COMPILING LOCAL BODY ROLLS

Wanganui Chronicle, 23 September 1950, Page 6

ALTERATION IN METHOD OF COMPILING

LOCAL BODY ROLLS

PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Last Night (PA) —There was nothing in the Bill which made it any more difficult for an elector to vote than at present but the responsibility was placed on the voter and not on the returning officer Io see that he was entitled to be on the roll, said Mr. W. H. Gillespie in the House of Representatives today, when the debate on the Local Elections and Polls Amendment Bill was continued. Mr. Gillespie said that at the last Municipal Association conference at Auckland no dissent was expressed against the repeal of the provision in the Act permitting the use of Parliamentary rolls for local body elections.

Mr. W. Nash (Opp., Hutt) said that under the old basis an elector’s name was written on the local bodyy roll if he was on the Parliamentary roll. Under the amendment contained in the Bill an elector would have to fill in a form and the repeal of the provision for the use of the Parliamentary rolls was harmful. Mr. A. McLagan (Opp.. Riccarton) said it was surely not going to be the case that, after each Parliamentary election an elector would have to reapply to have his name on the roll. Why then should it be made difficult for voters in the local body elections, if the feeling of electors was taken there would be a very large majority in favour of retaining the existing legislation.

Mr. C. F. Skinner (Opp.. Buller) said it would be a retrograde step to repeal the present legislation. He considered there were more distractions on a Saturday than on a Wednesday and by holding local body elections on a Saturday there was a greater chance of getting smaller polls. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr. Bodkin) in reply, said he was amazed that objections to the Bill had been raised by the St. Kilda Borough Council and the Dunedin City Council. Both those bodies were represented at the last Municipal Associations' conference and had voted for the remit seeking repeal of the legislation. The conference was unanimous that Ihe legislation should be repealed. The Minister said the objective should be to get as good a roll as possible to ensure that everyone with the right would have a vote. Mr. Bodkin said he would examine the suggestion that the Electoral Department might undertake the responsibility of preparing all rolls and he would also confer with the Counties’ and Municipal Associations on the matter. He said he realised that postal voting would create certain difficulties but they were not insuperable. However, a great deal of detail remained to be worked out. The Minister said that, the Counties’ and Municipal Associations considered that, unless the legislation was repealed it would be impossible to provide for postal voting. No hardship would be created at the forthcoming elections by the repeal of the legislation. The Bill was then committed and the first clause had been agreed to in committee before the House rose at. 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.