ELECTION PETITIONS' COURT.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2452, 14 February 1882, Page 3

ELECTION PETITIONS' COURT.

LYTIELTON. The hearing of the petition against the return of Mr. Harry Allwright, M.H.R., for Lyttelton, commenced this morning at ten o'clock. Their Honors Judges Johnston and Williams were on the Bench, or more oorrectly, on tho stage, the hearing of the case beiDg held in the Lyttelton Oddfellows' Hall, within which the Judges occupied seats surrounded by the shifting soenory incidental to a theatrical entertainment.

Tho counsel present wore —for the petitioner, Mr Hollis, Messrs Harper and Button ; for Mr Allwright, the respondent, Messrs Holmes and Cowlishaw ; and for the Returning Officer, Mr H. N. Nalder appeared. The petition was substantially that aliens had voted at the late election, and that the Hon. E. Kichardson, whoso polling was eleven short of that of Mr Allwright's, really polled more " legal" votes than Mr Allwright, and was entitled to the seat in the next Parliament. A good deal of interest is naturally taken in the trial. The body of tho hall was pretty well taken up by the public, and both the potitionor and tho respondent were amongst those present. It was determined by the Court to hear counsel on the legal points, and then to adjourn until one day next week, when, "if necessary," the evidenoe as to alionship or otherwise will be gone into. When our despatches left port Mr Harper, for tho petitioner, had oponod the case by averring that "aliens.voted at the olection of Mr Allwright for member of Parliament." Mr Holmes, for the respondent, then proceeded to show that aliens under the existing state of the law had a right ,to vote—in fact, that being on the roll must be deemed conclusive proof of such rights.