HAWKE'S BAY ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 219, 23 February 1915, Page 5

HAWKE'S BAY ELECTION.

i PETITION AGATXST DR. MsNAB'S RETURN. IRREGULARITIES CHARGED. - By Telegraph.—Press Association. Napier, last Night. The hearing of the pct-tion of Mr. H. M. Campbell against the election of Dr. R McXab for Ilawko's Bay was opened the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) and Mr. Justice Edwards to-day. Mr. C. I s . Skerrett, with him Mr. H. B. Lusk and Mr. W. G. Wood, appeared for the petitioner, and Sir John Findlay, with him Mr P. Levi, for the respondent. The petitioner asked for a scrutiny of ' " votesthat, it bo determined' that Dr., MoNab W as not duly elected, and th;>.t the petitioner be declared duly ('Voted, 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 vot?; that many persons whose names .were on the roll, and who voted, were not entitled to vote; that a number of Maoris voted who were not entitled to vote In the election;, that certain per-cng-booth; that manv nersons who were entitled to vote, and also voted in place of persons whose names wer.e on the roll, but who were dead; that a number of persons voted at more than one poll-inrf-mooth; that many persons who were prohibited from voting bv the operation of the law were admitted to the nolling-booths, and exercised votes; that n- large number of ballot-paners were-allowed' in the recount ■ which should have been rut aside as informal, and mnnv papers in favor of the net'itioner were wrongfully rejected; that a nortion of the votes cast by members of the expeditionary forces, although ol-v-.r,>ri fov the returninfi'-offleer. were .netunl'v -rerrtered null p"d void hv reoof certain informalities at the outse'\ 'Mr. Rkerret-t. conf.'omle'l thn-t the r"-' criminatory case set i'n hv the resnnn. dent, which w« an nlleea+ion that, 'he -Vn+.V-i ivas -""irt. 'o-■.falcon bo. forn the r-r-vnf'rw. "hut fhn : r TTn-"-~* —led -v™*-. l' ! -r M- -i.lVri the returnii-cr-offi?'" - . 1o nrort'icc' --rrc; Forty ■.'otes o* l "Robert McXab" ■"!(' t l '" notion"'-'* Christian names. "Hutrh McL»nn." struck out,, leavinsr only "Campbell." 'were declared informal hv the '\Tf>" : =>- trate, .md Mr. Skerrett contended th?t these should have beo»> credited to netitioner. Decision on 'the point was reserved.' Three ■ further votes were claimed. On one "Robert" was struck out. and on the other two there' were mark's opposite to McXab's name, Petitioner' claimed' that thv-f" were marks of rejection, and not preference. fi"ciision was also reserved on that point. Evidence was then taken with' rcnH to two cases of dual voting, after' wireh ,the hearing was adjourned till td-'mor- ' row, to allow the returning-officer and the registrar, in the -presence of counsel, to look up the counterfoils of s n« m ber of papers in cases where dual voting was suspected. A great many witnesses are to lm called, and the case is expected to last Tiome flay" 11