MISSING BALLOT PAPERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 143, 16 December 1908, Page 2

MISSING BALLOT PAPERS.

THE POSITION IN DUNEDIN NORTH. [Bt Tbiegbaph. — Special to The Post.] DUNEDIN, This Day. Mr. Widdowson, S.M., has reported to Mr. Barclay, who asked for a recount for Dunedin North second ballot, that, not being satisfied that all the voting papers were placed before him, he is unable to complete the recount. It will be remembered that the result of the second ballot, as declared on 30th November by the returning officer (Mr. D. Larnach) gave Mr. G. M. Thomson r majority of six, the figures being :—: — Thomson 3382, T>=.rclay 3376, while 12 votes were rejected as informal. It is understood that on the Magisterial recount Mr. Barclay led by eleven votes. The discrepancy shrwn between the two counts is explained (says the Star) by Mr. Larnach. as having been due to th« disappearance of 17 voting papers in favvour of Mr. Thoi icon. He states that these papers we-? the last to be dealt with ir the count. As s-^on as they were count°d he left his inner office (where the' count took place), bef <^re sealing them up and placing them wit^ tho rest of the papers, his reason being that he wished to immediately despatch to .his superior officer official intimation of the result of the election. The writing out of thess wires in his front office took some little time, and this absence of his from the room in which the count took place is the only time he can assign as an opportunity during which the papers could disappear. He states that the discrepancy could have occurred in bo other way, becausr sa against the figures dis closed by the Magistrate's recount there are returns fr^m different booths by deputy-returning officers, the number as recorded by a counting and stamping machine, his own count and that .of eight persons who took ps.rt, in the count. Mr. Larnacb has reported the disappearance of tho papers to tho police. Mr. Larnach \as asked if there was any possibility of the counting and stamping machine hcving been out of order and showing more papers than there actually wer' This machine is used to stamp each voting paper and automatically register? a consecutive number with each impr-ssion. He replied j that the number of papers as recorded I by the machine did not tally to within one vote with the number as ascertained by those not using it, but it was very nearly as close a tally, and the difference of seventeen papers could not possibly be attributed to that source. He pointed out in addition the three other checks beforemontioned. As regards the election, the position now stands as before the magisterial recount, viz., that Air. Thomson is the elected member, as declared by the returning officer on the 30th ult. If Mr. Barclay wishes to proceed further in the matter his course is to proceed by an election petition to the Supreme Court, a deposit of £200 having to be lodged with the court, which could on inquiry direct that, the election be either upheld or upset. Interviewed, Mr. Barclay stated that he had not made up his mind as to whether he would take that course, but he said that he intended to make a full statement of the position of matters to his committee — so far as he could gather, tho actual result of the recount was to add some votes to the number allowed to him by the returning officer. If that were so and the six votes given to him and improperly disallowed, as he (Mr. Barclay) alleged, by the returning officer— though of course not knowingly so — were counted in, it seemed clear that the majority of valid votes recorded was undoubtedly in his (Mr. Barclay's) favour. He could not yet say what course he would take, as the Magistrate had only given his intimation that day, and time was necescary to consider.