STRATFORD BY-ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 April 1920, Page 4

STRATFORD BY-ELECTION.

REASONS FOR THE DELAY. TECHNICAL OBSTACLES. By Telegrnpli.—Press Ansoclntlon. Wellington, Last Night. There is apparently some agitation in the Stratford district on account of the delay of the new election 10 fill the vacancy caused by the voiding of the election as a result of the petition of .Mr. Hine and others. The Prime Minister made a statement on the subject today. ''Statements have been made," said Mr. Massey, "that the Stratford election has been purposely delayed by the Government. That is not the ease; Tn a case such as that of Stratford the finding of the Election Court is reported to Mr. Speaker, and the iifficnlty in the present case avisos from the fact that there is no Speaker in the period between the dissolution of an expiring Parliament and the meeting of the new Parliament. The report is addressed to Mr. Speaker, and the envelope cannot he opened, but it'is necessary in all such cases to obtain a quasi official 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. According to the Statute, an interval of ten days is required after the gazetting of the notice before tile Governor can he advised to issue a warrant for the writ. The writ will be issued in due course, and the election will take place thereafter without delay,''