WESTERN MAORI ELECTION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3186, 11 May 1909, Page 5

WESTERN MAORI ELECTION.

PETITION AGAINST MR KAIHAU'S RETURN. By Telegraph—Press Association. HAMILTON, May 10. j Ptpene Eketone's petition against Hcnare Kaihau's election fur the Western Maori electorate v, as heard this afternoon before Judges Edwards aud Cooper. Mr P. Earle appeared on behalf of the petitioners, and Mr C. J. Parr for the respondent, and Mr Swarbrick Eppasred for Mr Grace, the Returning Officer, whom their Honors ruled was a respondent, as charges were made against him throughout the whole of the election. Mr Earle, in opaning the case, said that the chief grounds of the petition were that the polling places had not been published in the Maori Gazette on eight different dates prior to the day of polling; that the voting papers had not been issued to each elector; that no time or times for issuing such capers had been stated; that the places where polling should have taken place were sot used for such a purpose; and that other places were used in substitution. Mr Earle also stated that 110 voting papers were returned without the names of the candidates being filled in, the electors in many cases not being afforded an opportunity of tilling them in. He contended that these were irregularities that were flagrant breaches of the Legislature, and it could not be said that the election had been carried out according to Statute. In more than one case the pla:e at which the polling I should have taken place had been changed to one distant some miles, and in one instance the poll actually took place on an open road, no house being used. Judge Edwards asked how much the election had cost, and it was stated in reply that it ran into well over a thousand pounds. Mr Earl submitted that the Act had been infringed by allowing more than one Maori to be pressnt in the booth at one time. If their Honors held that according to the commun rule this election in substance was invalid well and gocd, but if on the other hand they held that irregularities complained of were not sufficient to destroy the election as an election then it would be for the other sije to show that the irregularities were such as could not possibly have affected the result of the poll. Counsel's opening address lasted all the afternoon, and the Court then adjourned till 10 o'clock tomorrrow morning.