COMING BY-ELECTIONS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3454, 7 April 1920, Page 5

COMING BY-ELECTIONS.

' THE STRATFORD SEAT. REASONS FOR THE DELAY.

WELLINGTON _, March 6.

There is apparently some agl'ta.tiol3,' in the Stratford district on account; ofl the delay in holding the by-election." to fill the vacancy caused by the void« ing of the original drlection as the re-e sult of the petition of Mr J. H. Hinel and others. The Prime Minister nlade a. statement on the subject to« day, in which he explains that the delay has not been deliberately schemed by the Government. “Statements have been madef’ said Mr Massey, “that the Stratford elec», tion has been purposely delayed by} the Government. That is not the case. The procedure in connection,‘ with a. seat which has lbecome vacant! as the result of an election petition is quite different from that which 004 curs in the case of an ordinary resiga nation or a vaéancy by death. In :11 case such “as that of Stratford the finding of theelection court is report« ed to"M'r ‘Speaker, and the difficulty; in the present case arises ffbm the; fact that there is no Speaker in the period between the dissolution of the expiring Parliament and the meeting of the new Parlfa'Tment. ‘

* “The report,” continued Mr Massey; “is addressed to Mr Speaker, and the‘ envelope cannot be opened. It is therefore necessary in all such cases‘ to‘ obtain a quasi-oflicial record of the‘ certificate of the Court which makes the election void, and this is obtained from the records of the Court itself.This has been done, but it was done only a very few days ago. The vacancy Will be gazetted to-morrow. Ac< cording to the Statute, an interval 015 ten days is required after the gazet-T ting of the notice beiore the Gover-nor-General can be advised to issue. the warrant for the writ. . This is ex« pressly prescribed by the Legislature Act for all cases other than vacancy by death or resignation. The Wriii for the new election will be issued in due course, and the election will take place thereafter Without delay.” NOMINATIONS FOR BRUCE.

DUN EDIN, March 5.

Nominations for the Bruce seat rem dered vacant by_the retirement of Sir_ James Allen‘ closed today, the follow~ ing being.nominat.ed: Mr James Begg (Government) and M: John Edie (’Op« pos-ition). ' ‘ ' ‘ The election will take place on April 14,