THE STRATFORD BY-ELECTION

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1920, Page 4

THE STRATFORD BY-ELECTION

QUESTION OF THE WRIT. MR. MASSEY NOT LIKELY TO SPEAK. The Stratford vacancy, due to Mr. J. B. Hine's election petition, was gazetted 011 April Oth., and as there be by law ton clear days between the issue ol the writ and the gazetting uf the vacancy, the writ, for the by-i:!e?tion cannot be issued till Saturday, a/id will be returnable within twenty-one days. The Prime Minister, asked by a \\".>l---ington Times, representative whether it was his intention to speak in conn ion with the Stratford by-election, said he was not going to bind himself to oo or not to go. He had as yet made no arrangement to go, and did not think it likely that he would, as his medical advisers said that platform speaking was one of the things he must avoid for the present.

The writ is returnable within 21 days after it has been issued; that is, the election must take place and the votes be counted within that time. The election will therefore probably take place about ten days after the issue of the writ, say about April 27 or 28.

CLOSING OF ROLLS. The supplementary roll for the Stratford electoral district will close at 6 p.m. on the day the writ is issued, which in all probability will be Saturday. On present indications the number of new enrolments received will be about 750, and a large number of absent voters' permits are also being issued, but these can be applied for right up to the day preceding the poll. A few objections to the enrolments of electors on the grounds that they are ineligible to vote, have been received by the Registrar (Mr. T. Purcell). When the roll closef, on Saturday it is unlikely that there wii be nmnv who will have missed their opjwitunity of enrolment-.