COUNCIL POLL UPSET

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28156, 20 December 1956, Page 16

COUNCIL POLL UPSET

Magisterial Recount At Auckland LABOUR LOSES ONE SEAT

(New Zeai&na Press Association)

AUCKLAND. December 19. The official count of the Auckland City Council election was most inaccurate, said' Mr H. Jenner Wily, S.M., making an 'order at the conclusion of the Magisterial recount for the 21 council seats tonight. He ordered the returning officer (Mr R. W. Bender) to make an amended declaration of the poll by which Mt G. E. Myers, a Citizens’ and Ratepayers’ candidate, replaces Mr C. G. Beer (Labour) on the list of candidates declared elected after the official count last month.

“The recount has shown many anomalies and errors,” said the Magistrate.

“The official count was so inaccurate that the work of the recount was greatly increased by the necessity to make many further recounts of individual booths as a double check against inaccuracies.

“If a proper check had been done such glaring mistakes as appear to have occurred at the Somerville polling place and others would not nave occurred.” said the Magistrate. “Nor would such instances as a candidate being credited with 81 votes instead of 18, or 16 instead of 60, or none instead of 29, and so on, have passed undetected.”

As the two applications for a recount were fully justified, Mr Wily ordered the City Council to pay the whole cost of the applications and of the recount. The applicants’ deposits of £lO will be refunded.