AN ELECTION PETITION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 842, 21 May 1910, Page 3

AN ELECTION PETITION.

Ashburton, May 19. A case of considerable interest regarding local bodies’ elections came before Mr W. G. Day this morning in the nature of a petition lodged by James Dellow, farmer, of Mayfield, whose nomination paper as a candidate in the Rangitata Road Board election bad been refused by the returning officer on the ground that it was invalid by reason of not being dated. The evidence showed that Dellow had handed in a nomination paper endorsed by two ratepayers, and that the document bore no date. Subsequently Dellow went to the returning officer and demanded the return of the paper, prior to closing of the nominations, for the purpose of inserting the date. The returning officer refused to return the paper, and when a new paper was brought to the Board’s office on the day nominations closed the officer was absent at noon, and afterwards he refused to accept it as valid. The Magistrate said he had no option but to grant the petition; in fact, that the nomination paper was not dated did not invalidate it. The election of the Board was therefore declared void, but costs were not allowed against the returning officer.