BREACHES OF THE ELECTORAL ACT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 261, 28 July 1908, Page 4

BREACHES OF THE ELECTORAL ACT.

Another batch of informations alleging breaches of tho Electoral Act was dealt with. Anna Nugent Cook was charged on three separate informations with having signed her name as witness to a signature upon a form of 1 claim for enrolment of tho Electoral Act, 1905, without having seen the signature written. Two similar charges were laid against Mary Corliss. Mr. Wilford appeared for both defendants, who pleaded guilty to each of tho charges. Counsel urged that tho wording of tho form of enrolment was such as to mislead a layman, and contended that there were hundreds of people who were under the impression that thoy could take a form of enrolment to a house and, if tho head of tho houso was absent, they could leave tho form to be signed, and could call again and witness tho signature. Defendants admitted that they had committed a breach of the Act.

Mr. Myers, who appeared for the prosecution, informed the Court that both defendants wore acting as canvassers for the Wellington Local Option Poll Committee) which committee issued • instructions to its canvassers that they should personally see claims for enrolment signed. Tho Legislature had chosen to say that offences of tho kind under notico were serious, and made the penalty for it not to exceed £50. If persons chose to make a business of going round and obtaining signatures in this way"they should make themselves conversant with the law on' the subject. He (counsel) held twenty-five forms, the signatures on which had been witnessed by Miss Cook, and nineteen or twenty witnessed by Mrs. Corliss, on all of which forms the Department could have prosecuted had thoy so desired. The practices in these and similar cases caused the Department a great deal of troublo and work.

His Worship remarked that if a person acted for any committee it was the duty of that person, whether a paid canvasser or a volunteer, to make himself or herself acquainted with the la-.v on tho subject. Although tho law was clear on this point, there was some excuso in that the parties may liavo acted from oyer zeal, but, perhaps, to somo extent through carelessness. The same fines would be imposed in these cases as in tho other cases which wero beforethe Court, recently. On the first charge Miss Cook would be fined £2 and costs £2 Os. 6d., oil tho second charge she would be ordered to pay costs 75., and on the third charge would be ordered to pay costs £2 Is: Gd. Mrs. Corliss would be fined £2 and costs £2 Os. 6d. on'tho first charge, and oi) the second charge would bo ordered to pay costs £2 4s. 6d.