H—22

(3) Fixing a longer period within which by-elections may be held following the occurrence of extraordinary vacancies. (4) Fixing the time at which the poll at all local-body elections shall close as 7 p.m. (5) Prescribing a uniform date for the closing of all local-body rolls —namely, the twenty-eighth day preceding the day appointed for the election or poll, as the case may be. (6) Authorizing the compilation of supplementary rolls in counties. (7) Requiring all County Councils and Road Boards to provide forms of claims for enrolment. (8) Abolishing the " occupier's " and " spouse's " qualifications in boroughs, town districts, and certain ad hoc local authorities. (9) Authorizing local-body officials to extract the names appearing on the parliamentary rolls for the purpose of compiling the local-body rolls in those cases where electors are entitled to be enrolled by virtue of residential qualifications. (10) Extending the provisions for declaration voting by providing that any person whose name is on the parliamentary roll in respect of an address within a particular local district may vote by declaration if his name is not on the local roll of electors for that district. Following the enactment of the Bill, local authorities and others have consistently sought the advice of the Department in regard to the various provisions thereof, and in particular relation to the provisions of section 10 of the Act relating to the use of the parliamentary rolls. It was realized that this provision will undoubtedly give a good deal of administrative difficulty to local-body officers, and the Hon. Minister of Internal Affairs announced at the Municipal Conference in Rotorua that the Government was prepared to give every help and assistance to the local authorities to enable them to obtain the information they desired in order to comply with section 10. As a result of this announcement, a Conference was held in Wellington between representatives of the various local-body organizations, the Electoral Department, and this Department, and after a full discussion a scheme was devised and agreed upon by which the Electoral Department, through the various Registrars of Electors, would make available to localbody officers copies of the parliamentary rolls, together with certified lists of amendments thereto and other information available up to the date on which the local-body rolls finally closed. All local authorities concerned were advised by circular of the arrangements made. (2) Statutes Amendment Act and Finance Act 1946 Several sections included in these Acts, covering a wide range of local-government activities, were promoted by the Department. County Councils under one section were authorized to constitute drainage districts not only for the construction of drainage works, but also for the maintenance of drainage works. Another provision authorized an increase, in particular cases, of drainage rates levied under section 167 of the Counties Act, 1920. Under another provision municipal corporations were authorized to increase the minimum library rate from 2d. in the pound to 3d. in the pound on the annual value. Another provision affecting municipal corporations provided that in cases where lands have been included in a borough after a plan of subdivision has been approved by the Governor-General in Council or the Minister of Lands, a further approval shall not be necessary for the purposes of section 332 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1933. Provision was made in another section prescribing a new form of voting-paper to be used at a poll under the Rating Act, 1925, ,on a proposal to adopt or abandon the system of rating on the unimproved value. Further sections validated expenditure by local authorities in connection with public functions of farewell to Their Excellencies Sir Cyril and Lady Newall and welcome to Their Excellencies Sir Bernard Freyberg and Lady Freyberg. Local

6