1806

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. [No. 135

"Outlying district" means any part of a railway district
that is not comprised within a borough, or a road
district:

"Ratepayers" and "owners of property" mean ex-
clusively ratepayers and owners of property within the
district:

"Roll" and "voters' roll" means the voters' roll of an
outlying railway district, borough, or road district, or
part thereof, situate in a railway district under the
Act:

"Presiding Officer" means the Presiding Officer ap-
pointed under the authority of these regulations.

Formation and Revision of Rolls.

2. As soon as conveniently may be after the deposit of the
   plan and book of reference pursuant to section 80 of the Act,
   the Governor shall appoint some person to be Revising
   Officer for the railway district.

3. The Revising Officer shall, within fourteen days after
   his appointment, cause to be prepared a separate voters' roll
   for each outlying district, including therein such part or
   parts of the county as may be comprised within a town
   borough, and road district, or part thereof respectively,
   situate in the railway district, in the form in the First
   Schedule, containing the names, arranged in alphabetical
   order of their surnames, of all the ratepayers and owners,
   and shall affix to each ratepayer's and owner's name the
   rateable property of such ratepayer and owner, and the rate-
   able value thereof.

4. In outlying districts situate in a county in which the
   whole of "The Counties Act, 1876," is not in operation the
   Revising Officer shall cause to be prepared a voters' roll only
   of all owners of rateable property, in the form in the Second
   Schedule hereto, and shall affix opposite each owner's name
   the rateable property of such owner, and the rateable value
   thereof. But if the operation of "The Counties Act, 1876,"
   has been suspended in any county, then the voters therein
   shall be included in the roll to be prepared for a road district.

5. Any road district or town district or part thereof re-
   situate in a railway district for which no ratepayer's roll is
   prepared or in force shall be deemed to be an outlying
   district for the purpose of these regulations.

6. In making valuations for the purpose of these regula-
   tions the person making the same shall be guided by the
   provisions of "The Rating Act, 1882," for the valuation of
   rateable property, except in the case of boroughs which have
   not adopted "The Rating Act, 1882," when such valuation
   shall be made in accordance with "The Rating Act, 1876."

7. A copy of the voters' roll for each outlying district,
   borough, or road district, or part thereof, in a railway district,
   shall be kept at some place in such outlying district, borough,
   or road district, or part thereof, of which the Revising Officer
   shall cause public notice to be given; and such rolls shall
   be open to public inspection at all reasonable hours for the
   space of ten days.

8. Any person who considers himself aggrieved by his own
   name or that of any other person being entered on or omitted
   from the roll, or by the entry on or omission from the roll of
   any rateable property to which he or such other person is
   entitled, or by the rateable value of such property being set
   down at less or more than it should be, may, before the
   expiration of the said ten days, apply to the Revising Officer
   for relief.

Any bank, joint-stock or other company, firm, copartners,
or joint tenants, being ratepayers or owners of any property,
may, by a notice in writing, delivered to the Revising Officer,
nominate some member or officer of such bank, company, or
firm, or any one of such copartners or joint tenants, who
shall be deemed to be and shall be entered in the voters' roll
as the person to vote in respect of such property.

9. The Revising Officer shall, by public notice, appoint a
   time and place, not being later than seven days next after
   the expiration of such ten days, at which he will sit to hear
   all such applications, and may summon any person whose
   evidence may be deemed necessary in the case to attend at
   such time and place; and, after making due inquiry, may
   enter any name on or erase any name from the roll which it
   is proved to his satisfaction ought to be entered thereon or
   erased therefrom, or to alter any of the particulars set forth
   on such roll, or to omit or enter thereon any particulars
   which it is proved to his satisfaction ought to be so altered,
   omitted, or entered, and the Revising Officer shall initial
   every such alteration therein. The Revising Officer may
   adjourn from time to time and place to place. The decision
   of the Revising Officer on all objections coming before him
   shall be final.

10. The said roll so corrected shall be signed by the Re-
    vising Officer.

11. The said Revising Officer shall sign as many copies of
    the said roll as he shall think sufficient; but there shall be
    a signed copy for each outlying district, borough, or road
    district, or part thereof, in the railway district. He shall
    transmit the roll and the signed copies to the Presiding
    Officer.

12. Any copy of such roll signed by the Revising Officer
    shall be conclusive evidence that the said roll has been duly
    made under the provisions of this Act, and no defect in the
    title to office of any person making, correcting, or signing
    such roll shall invalidate such roll.

Polling, how conducted.

13. The Governor shall appoint a Presiding Officer for each
    railway district, who shall appoint a Returning Officer to take
    the poll in each outlying district, borough, or road district, or
    part thereof, in the railway district. The Presiding Officer
    shall furnish the Returning Officer with a signed copy of the
    roll for the outlying district, borough, or road district of
    which he is Returning Officer.

14. The Presiding Officer and every Returning and Deputy
    Returning Officer shall, before entering on the duties of his
    office, make and sign, before a Justice of the Peace, a
    statutory declaration in the form in the Third Schedule
    hereto.

15. The poll shall be taken at such times and places as the
    Governor shall appoint.

(1.) The Presiding Officer shall.give public notice in each
outlying district, borough, or road district, or part
thereof, within a railway district, setting forth the
day on which a poll will be taken, and in such
notice he shall specify the polling-places.

(2.) The Presiding Officer shall give notice to every Re-
turning Officer, requiring him to take the poll on
the day so appointed.

(3.) The Presiding Officer shall cause sufficient voting
papers to be printed in the form in the Fourth
Schedule hereto, and shall, ten days before the
day so appointed, forward, by registered letter ad-
dressed to every ratepayer and owner on the roll
entitled to vote, one of such voting papers. The
address shall be that appearing on the roll as
appertaining to such ratepayer or owner.

16. Any voter who wishes to vote must fill in the voting
    paper or cause the same to be filled in according to the
    form in the Fourth Schedule. If the voter consents to the
    adoption by the Company of Part IV. of the Act, he must
    insert the word "consent" after the word "hereby" in such
    form. If he does not consent to such adoption, he or his
    attorney so appointed as aforesaid must insert the word
    "refuse" after the word "hereby" in such form, and his
    vote shall be deemed to have been given accordingly.

17. The voter shall sign the voting paper in the presence
    of a Justice of the Peace, or of some other person being a
    voter for the railway district, or the Returning Officer or
    Presiding Officer, who shall attest the same.

18. The voter shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the
    Returning Officer for the outlying district, borough, or road
    district for which he is a voter, the voting paper, at any time
    after 9 o'clock in the forenoon of the day appointed for the
    polling and before 6 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day.

19. Before receiving a voting paper the Returning Officer
    shall satisfy himself by reference to his roll that the person
    so voting is entitled to vote, and has not already voted he
    shall initial the voting paper, and immediately deposit it in
    the ballot-box.

20. If any voter is blind, or is unable to read, the voting
    paper shall be filled up by a Justice of the Peace or the Pre-
    siding or Returning Officer, at the request of the voter, The
    Justice of the Peace, Presiding Officer, or Returning Officer
    shall read the voting paper when so filled up to such voter,
    who shall make his mark. The Justice of the Peace, Pre-
    siding Officer, or Returning Officer shall certify in writing,
    on the back of the voting paper, that the voting paper was
    read over to and understood by the voter.

21. The Returning Officer may appoint one or more poll.
    clerks to assist him in taking the poll.

22. The Returning Officer shall provide the following
    things for taking the poll:--

(1.) One or more rooms for polling-booths. No polling-
booth shall be in any house licensed for the sale
of spirituous or fermented liquors, or in any
premises belonging to such house;

(2.) In each booth a ballot-box, having a lock and key,
and a slit in the upper side by which the voting
papers may be put into the box;

(3.) In each booth one copy of the roll, and a sufficient
number of voting papers and pencils.

23. If there is more than one polling-booth the Returning
    Officer shall appoint a deputy for each booth at which he
    cannot be present in person, and such deputy shall have, in
    and about the polling-booth to which he is appointed, and in
    taking the poll thereat, all the powers and duties of the Re-
    turning Officer.

24. The Returning Officer shall, before the opening of the
    poll, see that the ballot-box is empty, and shall close and
    lock it, and retain the key in his possession; and the ballot-
    box shall not again be opened until after the close of the
    poll.