POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 172, 19 January 1912, Page 5

POLITICAL.

THE WAIRAU SEAT. A LONG LIST OF ALLEGED '' IRREGULARITIES. By Telegraph—Press Association. » Blenheim, Last Night. In accordance with the Act, the peti tioners against Mr. McCallum's election for Wairau advertise the full text of the grounds of the petition in the Express to-night. The petition is a'very lengthy one, comprising 27 clauses. Summarised, the alleged grounds of the proceeding are as follows: • McCallum was guilty, of. bribery in treating and using undue influence, and in intimidation of electors, fend other corrupt and illegal practices, whereby an honest, pure, and fair election was not holden, and, therefore, should be declared void. After a meeting of electors at Grove-, town, Mr. McCallum announced that his chairman of committee would "shout," and that they proceeded, to the hotel, where Mr. McCallum addre----'1 the i'"»tors and supplied them with'-' drink and' entertainment, paid for directly or by his agent. '■ . ■ At Picton, OK#ramio, Seddon and Mirza Mr. McCallum provided, meat, drink, and intoxicating liquors to large numbers of electors for the purpose of influencing votes. At Grove road, Blenheim, there was' a polling place at a grain store of Mr. McCallum's brother, where large quantities of liquor were supplied to the electors, wherewith Mr. McCallum was an ■ • accessory. Large quantities of intoxicating liquor were supplied to the electors at, Seddon, - and that the agent for Mr. McCallum there importuned the electors to vote for Mr. McCallum, and supplied them with -liquor supplied by Mr., McCalluin. A member of Mr. McCallum's committee gave the electors at Mirza money to buv liquor Prior to the second ballot, Mr. McCallum made contracts for the payment of. the conveyance of electors to and from ■" the polling booth at the election, and that the secretary of Mr. McCallum's committee was seen to instruct the drivers of such conveyances to convey the electors to the poll to vote for Mr. McCallum. That a prominent member of Mr. McCallum's committee stood at the prin-' cipal booth, accosting electors and urging them to vote for Mr. McCallum, thus timidating the electors, and the same ; thing occurred at another polling pla#e. That Mr. McCallum was guilty of corrupt practice at the first ballot, inasmuch as his total expenses exceeded £2OO, and in the second ballot his total expenses exceeded £SO. That the .chairman of his committed offered money to a canvasser to procure votes, and that the promised money was paid after the election. Clauses were also inserted alleging bets made by members of Mr. McCallum s committee and prominent supporters, thereby influencing votes of the < electors. ( THE AIM OP THE LABOR 'PARTY. Invercargill, Last Night. In an interview with the News, Mr. McNab, formerly Minister of Lands,; said he did not expect an early appeal 4 tb« country, as neither .party would care to incur the odium of plunging the country into a general election and thereby postponing the next licensing poll until the end of next Parliament. The- Labor Party, was organising with mora rigor, ■„ and was not anxious for an election before three years, as it would take thai time to make the necessary preparations which he, understood tfould be fairly extensive, in order to try and put the party ] . n New Zealand in line with labor in Australia as a political power."" MR. G. W. RUSSELL'S VIEWS. Christchurch, January 17. . Speaking at a social gathering ten- - dered to him last night, Mr.. G. W. Russell, M.P. said regarding the political. . , situation, that lie could not remember a similar position to that of the present time. Thirty-eight of Mr. Massey's rap. porters had been returned, but that was not a majority. The small balance of independents might be said to hold the' balance of power. Mesrs. Veitch, Bobertson Payne had been returned ail ' Labor members, although it was hardly correct to say that they actually represented the Labor party,, as they had in the second ballots obtained the Opposition votes.

Some people were under tha limmsion that if Mr. Masaey formed a Gorerament, and that, Government i was defeated, there might be a dissolution in fire of six weeks. In his opinion, however, there would be no ground for asking far a dissolution until every means of-xoraf-" ing a stable- Government had been= bausted. Both Mr. Massev anff ffr J* *- seph Ward had placed their policies be* : fore the people prior to the election, and' . 1 it either of these platforms, was not ae- - ceptable to the people it mipht be thiit TOme other member of the Liberal party would be acceptable to .the Labor party, ana the Labor members -would mnm themselves on the side of the Liberal party, enabling that party to carry on. The public revenue accounts showed an increase of £600,000 for nine months actually in sight, which should mean an overflowing treasury. With a balance of some £BOO,OOO at the end of the financial year on March 31, would it .be advisable to fling out of office the party who had . , brought this happy state of affair# about?