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In Switzerland, and an increasing number of other countries where the public have input on issues, any Petition of 100,000 signatures facilitates presentation of the issue directly to the people by way of public referendum through the ballot box. Many of this Society's overseas affiliates will be staggered to learn that a slight gaggle of four politicians with farming interconnections held, and used, sufficient power to squash this enormous Petition. Failure for the government to comply with our reasonable request that Submissions be recorded can only be interpreted as an admission that our Society has no recourse to lawful or legitimate debate through our Parliamentary system. Disturbing news for a Society which has campaigned for eleven years strictly to the letter of the law believing that channels for negotiation exist.

Many of our correspondents and groups in other countries see New Zealand as a world leader on nuclear policy and express the hope that it will set a similar precedent by being among the first countries to abolish the scourge of vivisection from its society. On behalf of our members, and the people around the world who are watching New Zealand on this issue I appeal to you to grant this Society and its supporters the democratic right to have Submissions to this Petition accepted, debated, recorded.

Finally, it is incomprehensible that any government could seriously expect to decide an issue of the proportions in question by sighting one sole paper. And equally incomprehensible that it expects us to believe that it would! Therefore trusting that the Petition has not already been signed, sealed, decided and delivered behind the scenes without input or debate I withhold my Submission until I receive notification from your Committee that all Submissions will qualify for acceptance, debate and registration.

In my note to you of 10 August 1989 I asked if you would postpone the due date of receipt of my Submission until I receive word that other writers receive qualification of their papers. When this eventuates will you kindly inform me the revised date for acceptance of Submissions in support of the NZ Anti-Vivisection Society's Petition to Abolish Vivisection in New Zealand, and the number of copies of each Submission required please.

Yours Sincerely,

Bette Overell

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