BRUCE LICENSING PETITION.

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 January 1903, Page 4

BRUCE LICENSING PETITION.

[SPECIAL TO " STAB."]

Donedin, This Day.

At yesterday's inquiry into the alleged irregularities in connection with the Bruce licensing poll, Mr Woodhouse in opposing the petition said his Worship was asked to take the serious responsibility of setting aside a poll of the electors which had been fortified by a recount of votes. Before he agreed to set aside the poll, his Worship would require to be convinced that acts had occurred which were beyond doubt, in his Worship's opinion, tended to defeat the fairness of the election. As to the hours of polling he submitted it was a matter for argument whether sub-section 2 of section 50 of the Local Elections Act of 1876 applied The hours named in Electoral Act were different from those in the Licensing Act. The hours did not correspond, as in some cases polls closed at six o'clock and in others at seven. Subsection 6of section 7of the Electoral Act was not incorporated in the Licensing Aot, and the word "Hereby" could not apply. Ha- further contended that s 3 long as any polling booth in the district was open and polling was going on it could not ba said that the poll was closed throughout tho district. Evidence on that point had been given only in regard to one or two places where the poll was open after the six o'clock, and that circumstances could not be held to void the entire poll. If voting was going on till seven o'cloch elsewhere what his side contended was that-before the poll could be set aside, acts -of unfairness that contributed to interfere with fairness of the election must ba established. What his worship would have to decide was that the ba'lot was not fair and that any of the irregularities proved "tended" to that result. No suggestion was made that any elector did not get a voting paper. After rebutting,.evidence had been called he would submit that tho proved irregularities were PjSO" slight that the Magistrate would be justified in dismissing the petition, even admitting that a want of secrecy applied. There was not the slightest- suggestion thatundue influence bad been used.