To Polls in Nov.
p. 172 · Read in the full issue
New Legislative
Assembly
W. Samoa Goes To Polls in Nov.
AFTER a strenuous session thi present Legislative Assembly o Western Samoa concludec its last session of its perio( of office and adjourned sine di on September 26.
The Assembly had been sittini since August 20 ’ for a period of 3 days and 20 actual sitting days.
On November 15 next election for the new enlarged Legislate Assembly are scheduled to be heL for both European and Samoa: representatives. The new Legisla ture will be composed of 41 Samoa] members (12 at present) and fiv European members (same numbe as at present) with two officis members (four at present).
Though the new electoral la' l provides for a secret ballot in thi same way as for European election! for the Samoan electoral district there will be few if any such ballot; as the Samoans evidently prefer t elect their representatives in thei own time-honoured fashion. Th: is by trying to agree, after long de bates and discussions, on one can didate who has the support of th majority of the matais (votin chiefs) of the electoral district.
Many districts have at this tin: of writing already selected the; new representatives in this manne There has been only one im portant alteration regarding res dential qualifications for Europea electors which the Legislative Ai sembly by nearly unanimous reso lution in April, had fixed at thre years instead of the one year quail fication in force heretofore.
Owing to the long delay in til passing of the Samoa Amendmei Act (containing the new elector regulations,) by the New Zealan Parliament now in session, it w? be impossible to enact the chanj. in the residential qualification time for the coming election.
Therefore the one year residei tial qualification for European tors will continue.
Up until the end of Septembc there had been no announcement to who is going to contest the Eur* pean elections, for which nomim tions closed on October 15, apa from the announcement by o:< sitting member, Mr. A. M. Gar." that he will stand for re-electico It is, however, almost certali that all the sitting members inter; to stand for re-election and thatd number of new candidates w also offer themselves to the do torate.