THE ELECTION PETITIONS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2440, 20 April 1915, Page 7

THE ELECTION PETITIONS

; I ' COURT JUDGMENTS IMPORTANT decision on time PROBLEM PETITIONS NOT LATE HAWKE'S BAY VOTES DISALLOWED

' ,® 1I P ren '® Court yesterday several important rulings on o m 7 were B' ren - questions which necessitated these t Taumaruuui, Hawke's Bay, and Bay of Islands election - i £r'l ??L , tolled petitions were partly heard in February, and if a^°.u { riec ' to have a Special Oowt .of Supreme Court Judges decide ZllrV!- }° ?®? ses ' These points (with one exception) haw ''their' Election Courts will proceed with the hearing of , • Special Court has decided that election peti- ! bs -i^ ge / twenty-eight days of the final public declaration \ n .? i-f: 13 oecipion .has tho effect of causing the Taumarunui and Bay I ? Islands to be m time—not late, as was argued by the respondent in either case.' J^ 6 ". .? a ? k6 ,'? -Emotion Court has upheld tha decision of the , who disallowed'a number of the votes cast in tha-: constituency, jtthese werf} the rotes of people who struck out the whole name of one candii!i„s a .rn -L nn .'JJ 1 ?,' 116 of the other candidate, leaving only either the word or M'Nab." An election paper printed in accordance with , Old direction? in the Btatjite should bear upon its face only the surnames of .candidates, sua of course the instructions to voters. In Hawke's Bay, how'i* V t r ' ??P er ? wero printed in error) after the style prescribed in an old ' f ct > with the purnames first and the Christian names in smaller type following, viz., ''Campbell, Hugh M'Lean," and "M'Nab, Robert." Thirty-seven elec- • i t>li! /" m. ll ? names "Hugh M'Lean," and also the names "M'Nab', i 'ir , i, T A ese > lf< was contended for the petitioner, were valid votes for Mr. • : UmpbelJ. Six voters'''struck out thenames "Campbell. Hugh M'Lean," ahd 'i <fi ' ~! rt ' having only the name "M'Nab." Petitioner allowed j tliat thesei were valid 'sotes for Dr. 21' Nab. If these votes had all been allowed, i iif' o i or . 40 would have. been reduced by 31, and on behalf of Air. CampMl it was claimed that certain other votes should he allowed or dis- * wj!icA, if the contentions had been sustained, would have converted Dr. JU A'aos majority into a minority. On these grounds Mr. Campbell petitioned i to be declared duly elccted.' The Court, however, has agreed with the Magistrate that the votes, 37 on the one hand and 6 on the other, ought to be disi allowed. , • The point the Special Court has not yet decided is whether electoral rolls are, or are not, conclusive as to a person's permission to vote. Decision on ■this question will be delivered to-day.