NATIVE CANDIDATE ALLEGES ILLEGALITIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2965, 21 November 1925, Page 2

NATIVE CANDIDATE ALLEGES ILLEGALITIES.

SOUTHERN MAORI SEAT IN JEOPARDY.

Christchurch, Nov. 20,

Allegations of the casting of illegal votes at the recent election arc made by one of the candidates for the Southern Maori electorate. Tuiti McDonald, of Levin, who probably will take the case to an Electoral Court. There are five grounds on which Mr. MacDonald declares that various votes cast are illegal. They are as follows: —

(1) : Several persons voted, though they were under age. (2) : Half-caste voters also were on the European roll, though it was illegal for half-casts to be on two rolls.

(3) : Descendants of half-castes by Europeans are not supposed to vote in a Maori election, but several did.

(4) : Natives from other electorates voted at the southern Maori election.

(5): Other natives had voted, though they had no legal right to do so, as they came within the criminal clauses of the Legislature Act. Mr. McDonald declares that he knows of 30 or 40 voters that will be affected and that would probably affect the result, as the majority of Mr. Urn was only Hi. He mentioned that at a. previous election the late Mr. W. Urn beat the late Air. Parata by three votes on the official recount, but there were then numerous illegal votes and Parata eventually won by four votes.