TWO IMPORTANT BILLS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 223, 17 October 1903, Page 2

TWO IMPORTANT BILLS.

(Special to Daily News.) Tie Kitlit Hon.'the Premier has forwarded tr> m for publication the iircvl.ions of thu following important introduce J in the House on evening: NAVAL DEFENCE. The main c'iU-tes of the Australian cd New Zonlind Naval Defence Bill with tne aureernent under which trio subsidy is to be paid are:— (!) Uiitifi ■■>> lion of the agreement. (3) ; Y yiiai'.y payment to His Majuety nting tivi exiitence of the agreement if one-twelfth ptrt of the annual cost eft'i-red to in Article VIII ot the igrcempnt, hut not exceeding in any .•uir.iM 0,000. (4) On the expiration >f hx Month-, from the pisiing of this -.el-, " ''."na Aisti abfuati Naval Defence \cz 1887," a.id " Thi Australasian \ r ,v,ii iJifoxo Act 1902," shall be looted tj be repealed. 11KGUL&TION OF LOCAL KLKOriONB. '1 his is an Act to amend the law '•jilting to inquiries as to elections or n 1 1h under " Tha Regulation of Looal Khcir.ns Ac, 1876," the short title ions Amendment Act, 1903," and to form pur'. < f, and b« read together with he principil Act, " The Regulttion of fiOCHI Election* Act, 1876." Tha Bill contains the following provisions : 2. Where any candidate and two electors, or where any six electors at* dissatisfied with the result of any elec'ion or poll under the principal Act, or any Act to which that Act is applied, tbey may, within 14 days after suth election or poll, by petition filed in the Oourt, demand an inquiry as to the conduct of the election" or poll, or of any candidate or other person thereat.

3. Such petition, in the form provided, shall be filed in the Magistrate! Court nearest to the principal polling place at the election or poll to be inquired into, and shall be heard and de'etmined before the Magistrate usually exercising jurisdiction at that Court, provided that in the case of a petition for inquiry as to a liceusing poll, the petitiou shall be heard and determined iofore such Magistrate as aforesaid, togethor with two magistrates usutlly exercising jurisdiction at the Magistrates Court nearest to the Oourt in which the petition is filed, and the determination of a majority of such shall ba sufficient. 4. The petition eh ill allege the specific grounds on which the complaint is founded and no other grounds (hall He investigated, provided that in the casa of an election evidence may be »iv<?n to prove that the election o! any candidate (othnr than the candidal* whose election is petitioned against) would be' inva'id in the sime manner as if the patition had complained of hi* eloction. 5. The inquiry shall be held within 14 days after the filing of the petition, and not I*BB than seven days publto notice shall be given of the time and place at which the inquiry will be held. 6. The magistrates or magistrate shall have all the powers of citing; parties, compelling evidence end malntiioing order be would have in hi* ordinary jurisdiction, and in addition may, during the inquiry, direct a recount or scrutiny of the votes given aft the election or poll, and shall diaallow the vote of every person who {a) hat voted cot being entitled to vote or (b) has given more votes than he wu untitled to give. 7. The Oourt shall determine whether by reason of some irregularity tha*iß its opinion tended materially to arJSb the result of the election or poll the election or poll is void, or whether, in the case of an election, the candidate

whose election is complained of or any wd what other 1 candidate was duly elected or whether in the case of a poll, not being an election, any and what proposal was duly carried, and mob ie'ermination shall be final. 8. The Court may report in writing o the Minister of Justice the name of all persons found guilty of any irregulirity in connection with the election ir poll, and state whether or not any such irregularity tended to defeat or affect the result. Every person so named shall be liable (a) where the | irregularity tended materially to sffeot ! the result, to a fine unf.«xsetding XIOO, or (b) where tin irregularity only tended to defeat the fairness of the J election or poll, to a fiue not exoeedtng -£2O, or (c) where it did not tool materially tq effect the result or to defeat the fairness of the poll, to a fine not exceeding £5. 9. At any licensing poll erery persoa

shall be deemed to be guilty of at irregulaiity who (a) in any way interferes wi'h any eleotor either in the polling booth or on his way thereto, 'with the intention of influencing him or advinng him as to hia vote, ->r (o) prints, distribute* or delivers on *he day of the poll or daring the three d<iys immediately preoeding tbe poll, I anything being or purporting to be an itnirsition of any voting paper to bt used at tbe poll, or having thereon the ia-ue to be decided at the poll, together with any direc'ion or indication as to how any person should vote, or in anyway containing any such direction or indication; or (c) during the hours in which the poll is being taken makes any public demonstration having reference to the poll by means of living figures, oAides, paintings, placards, or other like means; or (d) obtains possession of any voting pnper other than the one given him by the returning officer for the purpose of recording his vote, or retains any voting paper in hi* i possession after leaving the polling booth; or (e) does or omits any act at an electoral poll that would be an Mfenco nnder Part II or Fait 111 of "The Electoral Ait 1902."

10. The Court may order that the expenses incident to the inquiry shall be borne either by the parties partitioning, or by the parties petitioned against, or where it declares the election or poll void on the ground, or partly 00 the ground of any negligence or miafeisance of any returning officer or other person acting officially at thf election or poll may order that such, expenses or any part thereof «ba\l bt borne by that returning officer ot> other person, provided that no wok order shtll be made against any pane* who has not been cited as a party, or summoned to give evidenoe at tba inquiry. 11. Where any election or poll, after the parsing of this Act, is declared void a fresh election or poll shall Dot later than 40 days after the date of such declaration be taken under tat some provisions so f*r a« practicable a*..; the voided election or poll, and in ttw case of a liosneiog poll shall be taken in the manner prescribed by " Tba Jl* coholio Liquors 8»le Control Aot Amendment Act 1895." In the can of a Hoensing poll in a distriot in «Uok no eleotoral poll is taken, it ii pwtiM' that at any suchfreih Uomiß|jpaU thl

same electoral roll shall be used as was used at the voided poll. 12. All the provisions of part 111. of" The Electoral Act 1902 " relating to the regulation of elections under that Act shall apply to licensing polls. 13. Sections 48 to 56 of the principal Act are repealed. ■ ii i - *