THE HAWKE’S BAY SEAT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 44, 23 February 1915, Page 6

THE HAWKE’S BAY SEAT.

THE HAWKE’S BAY SEAT.

Per Press .Association,

Napier, February 22

The hearing of the petition of Mr H. M. Campbell against’ the ..lection of Dr. R. McNab for Hawke s Ba.f was opened before the Chief Justice Sir Robert Stout) and Mr Justice Edwards to-day. Mr C. P. Skerrett, with him Mr H. B. Lusk-and Mr W. G. Wood, appeared for the pot’tioi.mr, and Sir John Findlay, with him Mr P. Levi, for the respondent. The petitioner asked for a scrutiny of .the votes; that it be determined that Dr. McNab was not duly elected, and that the petitioner be declared duly .elected on the grounds that Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., did not conduct the official recount of the votes in the manner provided for by law; that persons voted whose names were not on the roll, and who were not entitled to vote-; that many persons whose names were on the. roll’, and who voted* were not entitled to vote; that a number of Mgops voted Who were not entitled to vote in the election ; that many persons who were entitled to vote, and also voted in place of persons whose names were on thej roll, but who were dead; that a number of persons voted at more than 1 one polling-booth; that many sons who were prohibited from voting by the operation of the law were ad-j mitted to -the polling-booths, and ex-j ■erased votes; that a large number of ballot-papers were allowed in the iecouut which should have been put aside as informal, and many papers in favour of the petitioner were wrongfully rejected; that a portion of the votes cast by members of the expeditionary forces, although allowed by the returning-officer, were actually rendered null and void by reason of certain informalities at the outset. The case will not be finished for some days.

EVIDENCE AT THE INQUIRY.

Napier, February 23

The Hawke’s Bay election inquiry was proceeded with at noon. Mr Skerrett said that as a result of the scruting counsels had eliminated all cases of apparent dual voting, for which there appeared to be a reasonable explanation There still remaim seven cases for investigation In the cases agreed upon there was a reasonable assumption that mistakes had been made through similarity of names. Evidence was then taken for the investigation of the seven cases: