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Marck 3 e ment rolls. "They would rather lost 'their votes than be assessed," he as-- serted. ' The lists on which Provincial elec« , | tions are carried out are not "honest i |fair or correct," said Mr. Nesbitt, sup-- : | porting his resolution. Thousands of J | voters were disqualified by the present ' HENRY S RE U lantiquatcd system, he continued. _ Ir ! Toronto in the last election thousands | of voters were omitted from the list | while a large number remaine(ii on tge | | 'list who had parted with their quali-- Pflce Thmks compu'sory, fications. He cited a good ma.x'lly inctl- | dents in the last election in Toront( VOtlng ls worthy 0' constituencies to support this view. Ir COflSldeI'atlon one apartment house of more thar 110 names,. thore were only 12 entitled to vote by reason of the fact that others SCORE PRESENT SYSTEM had moved since the list had been pre-- | pared. | l it He quoted news interviews in The _ Intimation by Attorney--General W. Gliobe during the last Prolvincialdglec; | tion to the effect that thousan 0 iH°tPflce that,. aithough 'the cc:mpulsory} names had been left off lists and othet voting law of Australia might not| thousands of names on the lists wer( prove practical in this country, it was ) jyvalid. "worthy of consideration," featured yes-- Provisions for the registration of thos: terday's discussion at the Legislature | joft off lists were most inadequate, Mr of the resolution by Russell Nesbitt| Nesbitt continued. In the case of & (Conservative, Toronto -- Bracondal#).| resident of High Park Riding, it would calling for the appointment of a select | po necessary to travel seven miles to the committee to consider improvements in City Hall, and then perhaps wait fo the methods of compiling voters' lists. | hours until his case was taken up by th« Colonel Price conceded Mr. Nesbitt's registrars. A fresh list could be obtain: Ipoint, that there had been a tremendous ed for every election by making it com-- ' | improvement in the representative char-- | pulsory for those desiring to voter to| |acter of voting in Australia since the roegistor within a ceriain time before introduction of the compulsory voting | polling day, or to require registration | law. when a votor moved from one electoral | « e district to another. | Election Chances Remt.ne. & "It would be well to get away from , The resolution was finally withdrawn jne idea that the Province or the | at the request of Premier Henry, whO municipality is bound to see that the | said that the chances of an election names of the voters are on the list and were remote at present '"in this happy place the responsibility where it rightly family." He felt that members should belongs; that is, on the voters them-- think over the question, and that the selves," said Mr. Nesbitt. He liked the resolution for the appointment of 2 card index system in vogue in many committee might be introduced at a cities of the United States to keep \later session. track of voters and have their names | ~The withdrawal of the resolution was changed to correct electoral divisions. reported to be a distinct surpriseed 10| One--third Interested. Toronto members who had intended to . 1;, quoted a letter which claimed that talk on the question. In the minds Of| oniy one--third of the voters were in-- several Toronto members the questi0n ;orpsteqd in elections, and these induced of compulsory registration, at least, if| another third to go to the polls The not of compulsory voting, had figured| remaining third were disinterested. as one of the remedies of the present _ "Why should one--third do all the | system of compiling voters' lists which work, all the thinking, all the urging to | would have been considered by the; keep democracy alive?" he asked. | select committee. E. J. Murphy (Con-- He cited figures to show the per-- jservative. Toronto--St. Patrick) was) centage of votes polled to the number fortified with several authorities and| of cligible voters in certain Toronto precedents of the legal right to emact ridings: In Beaches, 40 per cent.; in laws for compulsory registration. Bracondale, 42 per cent.; in Woodbine, "I believe in the system of compul--| 35.3 per cent. i+ sory registration as they have it in New Colonel Price felt that the present sys-- | Zealand, and I am even prepared to tem of using municipal lists had fallen advocate the system of compulsory vot--| down, and the problem. was to devise a ing as they have it in Australia," said, SYStem which would be fair and not too Mr. Nesbitt, who said that since the| °*P°DS!ve. In ridings where results were | latter law was passed the percentage [2}"V We!l assured, people simply did | of voters to electors enrolled had' ;L'}%gf;fgeltor'fg;ge;t'gi :';X'g'igg'l hle sz}x;l & 3 9 ple. He ,l::)tped from around 58 to over 98 per | suggested that it might be found that | oo h y the Dominion system of enumeration Many "Not at Home. : might prove a satisfactory substitute. : Another highlight in discussion of| Premicr Henry remarked, before asking the question was Colone! Price's as-- for the withdrawal of the resolution, | sertion that a good many people pre--| that the difficulties were far greater in | 'tended to be not at home when enu--. compiling .votors' 1L§ts in large centres 'mentors called. because they did not. of population than in rural districts. want to get their names on the assess-- | ~~~~(Gontinued on Next Page) -- >