ELECTION PETITION ENQUIRY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1562, 19 May 1887, Page 2

ELECTION PETITION ENQUIRY.

A Court of Enquiry into the petition of Hugo Friedlander, Robert Murray and J. G. Reatell, praying that the election of Ronald Campbell as member for the Hakatere Ward of the Upper Ashburten Road Board be declared Informal, wai held this morning before, Mr H. 0. S. Biddeley, The petitioners objaoted to the re»' tara of Mr Campbell oa the following grounds :— . • (1) That Section 49 oC "The Bofti Boards Act, 1882," was not com. plied with. (2) That the nomination of Mr Hugo ; Friedlander was not accepted by the Returning Officer, being an irregit- ' larity under Sub-section 6, Section 50, of the "Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876," which tended to defeat the fairness of \tba' : ; Election; " ■■■.-. v „> Mr Wilding appeared for the Road Board and for Mr Campbell. : Mr Fc iedlander said that he supposed the other side bad no objection to raise Id regafd to the petition. - • Mr Wilding took objection to the petition as not being m conformity with the Regulation of Local Elections Act. It was laid down m th*t Act that it was neaessary for a petition to be signed by ft candidate and two duly qualified electors, or by six duly qualified eleotora, and declared before a Justice of Peaoe. The latter proviso had not been ompied l with. Mr Friedlander said that ttrough an oversight the petition bad not been daolared before » Justice of the Peaoe, md' on reading the Act that morning he had seen that the petition was not m atriot conformity with its provisions, and there* fore he had asked the othor elde before the case was proceeded with if they had any objections. Mr JtJaideloy held that Me Wildlng'i objection was fatal. The petition would be dismissed without costs. Mr Wilding addroßaed the Court oa tho question of costs. • Mr Baddeley ultimately decided ta allow £L Is costs. Mr Friedlander objected to coats btlng allowed. He . was proceeding to point out that the Returning Officer was In error, when Mr Biddeley said he oou'd not go into that question; He had Allowed the lowest amount of coats possible. The Court then adjourned.