THE PATEA SEAT PETITION.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 21 August 1901, Page 3

THE PATEA SEAT PETITION.

(PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION)

Wellington, Aug. 20. A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of William Parker, laborer, of Patea, against the return of Mr Haselden for the Patea seat to the House of Representatives. The grounds of the petition are : (1) That after the poll was taken the returning officer wrongfully opened parcels of ballot papers and extracted the voting paper of Frederick Charles Saphir, of Taylorville,’ commercial traveller, and disallowed the vote which had been east in favor of Heslop.

[ (2) That after the poll the returning officer took out the paper of Arthur Nesbitt, of Hnr.terrillo, who also voted for Mr Hcslop ami disallowed it. ’ (3) That the deputy returning officer nt Makiriki closed the booth shortly after opening it, and it remained closed throughout the day and tho returning officer failed to make any return. (4) That tho deputy officer at Mongaouioho booth closed it during dinner hour and remained away for about an hour. (fs) That an elector named John Williams, on the roll Jno. Williams, was not allowed to vote at Hunterville although ho rightly claimed to be the person named John Williams. (0) That an elector on the roll as John Ferguson was not allowed to vote at rukorinui, that both these votes would have been cast for Heslop. The petitioner therefore nsks that the election be declared void.