Normanby Tom Board.

Patea Mail, 13 April 1882, Page 4

Normanby Tom Board.

(from our correspondent.)

Normanby, Thursday morning

The election of five Commissioners for the new Town Board took place here yesterday, in the Town hall. Mr E. C. Meredith was returning officer, and Mr R. McDowell scrutineer. Out of nine candidate the following were returned: Charles Quin ... ... ... 27 John Trewoekjunr. ... ••• 20 C. E. Gibson ... ... ... 19 Rowe ... ... ... ••• 19 John Millar ... ... ... 16 The non-returned were :—Beresford 11, W. Gibson 11, W. L. England 8, Joseph Wilson 8. The election created great interest and excitement in the town, and several outside voters arrived by train from Hawera, including Mr McGuire (Mayor), Mr Murray Thompson, and Mr White, banker.

Considerable sensation prevailed during the greater part of the day, and for several hours a lively and somewhat indignant controversy was maintained in respect to the qualifications of electors. The returning officer’s interpretation of the 17th clause of the Town Districts Act was warmly and persistently disputed. It is there enacted that “Every person whose name shall appear on the electoral roll for any riding of the county within which the district is included, and who shall own or occupy property situated within the district, shall be entitled to vote at the first and any other election of Commissioners prior to any rate being levied under this Act,” &c. The returning officer held that though householders were paying rates within the riding, they were not entitled to vote, unless their names weie on the present electoral roll for Egmont.- By this ruling a great number of ratepayers were disfranchised, and much discontent was therefore expressed.

1 Mr Qnin, nn behalf of the complainanis, handed in a written pron st, an i should his view of the mutter he confirmed, the election will lie upset, li seems to me (if 1 may be allowed an opinion) that no ambiguity environs the clause referred to, and that the protest of Mr Quin and others is the result of a mistaken apprehension of the meaning of the Act. Had the ratepayers’ roll for the riding been designed to be the electoral roll, it would surely have been so defined elsewhere ; and Mr Meredith, in ruling as he did, had obviously no choice in the matter. At the same time it must be owned, that the Act, as constructed for the first election, is a hardship to many substantial ratepayers, so far as the 17th clause is concerned. Look at it from what point of view you like, it involves a contradictory absurdity at which the volatile may laugh, but which is to be deplored. At the declaration of the numbers, Mr Quin withdrew his protest, and in a brief but appropriate speech thanked the electors for having placed him at the head of the poll. The occasion was celebrated in the evening by a ball.