VINCENT COUNTY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 799, 10 August 1877, Page 3

VINCENT COUNTY.

Separation Petition. •A royal commission represented by W. L. Simpson, Esq., was held on Saturday last, in tho Court-house, Cromwell, to inquire into the objections to a petition purporting 'to be signed by 300 ratepayers, or persons Entitled to bo ratepayers of tbe Ridings Of Kawarau and Hawoa, and praying for the constTuotion of the said Ridings into a separate County. MrC. Colclough, Secretary of the Petition Committee, and one of the members of the Hawea Riding, ass : sted by Messrs (Tolly, Starkey, and Marsh, appeared on behalf of tbe memorialists. Mr P. J. Wil«on, solicitor, And Vincent Pyke, Esq., Chairman of tho Comity and member for Kawarau Kiding, appeared and acted for tbe objectors. TV. Fraser, Esq., County Treasurer, and member for Earnscleugh Biding, was also present. Some six or eight persons were also present. Mr Simpson having read his commission, the petition; and tbe objections to same, stated he was prepared to take evidence. Mr Wilsomstated—of the names to the petition he objected to 51, 2 as having signed T '►- twice, tho others as not being on tbe roll for ■either riding. Mr Pyko said if the petition were dealt witli under the 40th section ‘of the Counties Act, the names as stated (50) were objected to, and if under the 51st section, there were other seven as having no qualification in ■either riding at the time of signing the petition. The County Clerk, who was present, certified to tho Rolls for Kawarau and Hawea, and stated the number upon them respectively was Kawarau 232, Hawea 2G3, total 495, and said the three-fifths would be 297. Mr Colclough contended the Roll was no basis to deal with The petition, as at tbe time 'the petition was signed there was no roll, and further, that the roll was not legally made, there being names on it that should not be on, and others omitted who had thought. ! He Was sure the Roll was ’“stuffed” to the eXteiit of 40 names for the purpose of defeating the petition, and lie would ask the Commission to make an especial note of this. He further contended that the prayer wao not of County electors alone, but of those entitled to be electors, and still further contended that the onus of proof of the genuineness of the signatures did not lie with the petitioners, but that it devolved upon'the objectors to prove there wore two-fifths of the electors who did mot sign, The Commissioner said’the Roll must be accepted as good, it being now a part of the Act, as well ask him to rectify mistakes in the Act. Mr Colclough again urged his objection To the Roll as a basis, saying that each person by signing, stated his right to sign, and until it Was proved to the contrary, the signature must be 'taken, indeed, if proof was wanted, be was prepared to bring evidence that they were entitled to sign. Tlie names as objected to were now again read over, anil Mr Colclough gave reasons why a number of them were, and are still entitled to be on the'potition ; he also said there were a further number of 102 names attached to a petition by the Cardrona people, praying to join the proposed new County, which should be read with this petition, as the Act lays it down that three-fifths of a proposed new County may petition. Mr Simpson said from the records at his command he would ascertain if any of the names objected to, were by any error omitted from the Roll, 'feoE if necessary, he would summons them to give evidence. It must lie remembered he was bound by the 'four corners offche 'Counties’ Act, and had 'no power to question the validity, or otherwise, of tho County Roll. Mr Colclough said the petition was genuine, and if they were defeated in this instance they would have another attempt, 'and perhaps with better success. The Commission then adjourned sine 'die.