HUTT LOCAL OPTION. ENQUIRY INTO THE REGENT POLL

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 12, 15 January 1909, Page 3

HUTT LOCAL OPTION. ENQUIRY INTO THE REGENT POLL

EVIDENCE FOR PETITIONERS. The enquiry into the Hutt No-license poll was continued after The Post went to press yesterday before Dr. M'Arthur and Messrs. James and Riddell, S.M.'s. Messrs. A. R. Atkinson and H. H. Ostler representedi the petitioners (the No-license party), and Mr. C. P. Skerrett, K.C., with Mr. Blair and Mr. Cracroft Wilson, appeared for the respondents. After Mi% Atkinson concluded his address, the rolls used at the various polling booths were produced, and it • was agreed that nobody but counsel snould have access to them, and then only in the presence of the court, or the clerk of the court. The Returning Officer (Mr. Mothes) was also ordered to produce his official roll of all the voters who voted at the poll. He explained that he had marked with a tick those who had voted and struck out with a green pencil those who had not. THE EVIDENCE. Evidence was then called. Vivian Henry Sanson, insurance clerk residing at Eastbourne, said he voted at the Muritai booth. Mr. Atkinson : Did you vote anywhere eke? Witness : No. Dr. M'Arthur : Is this roll of the Returning Officer a compilation, of all votes ca&t? Mr. Mothes: Yes. Dr. M'Arthur : Here we have the deputies' books. It is shown that a vote was cast in Sanson's name at two booths. Mr. Skerrett said a scrutiny of the ballot would have to be made to get the illegal vote. The vote bearing, the Muritai stamp would be allowed, of course. Sarah Armitage said she voted at the Oddfellows' Hall, Petone. Mr. Atkinson: Did the Returning Officer call on you? Mr. Skerrett objected. It was found on a scrutiny of the rolls that there had been no dual voting in this case. John Arnold gave evidence that he voted at Lower Hutl, but not elsewhere. Dr. M'Arthur: The allegation is that he voted at the Taita ako? Mr. Atkinson : Yes. Mr. M'Arthur : Well he. is not marked off on the Taita roll. That disposes of that case. Edith Maud Bodmin, voted at the Hutt. The allegation was that she had been personated by somebody who voted at i'etone. This was not substantiated. George House said he voted at the Oddfellows' Hall, Petone. It was shown that a George House had also voted at Lower Hutt. Mr. Skerrett explained that another George House voted there. His name appeared on the supplementary roll, and was not scored out. The marking was purely a technical error, i J. E. Jackson said he voted at Petone. It had been claimed that another vote in his name had been cast at Lower Hutt. This was not substantiated. Arthur Henry Pringle voted at Lower Hutt. Mr. Atkinson did not know the booth at which the alleged personation took place. Search was postponed till the following uay. Amy Belcher voted at the Town Hall, Lower Hutfc. It was alleged a vote had been cast in her name at tlie Petone school. The deputies' roll for the latter booth failed to substantiate the allegation. IMPROPERLY STRUCK OFF? Daisy Collett (tormerly Miss Walton) said she was on the Hutt roll in her -maiden name. She received a notice from the Registrar stating that he had received notice from the Registrar" of Marriages that her name had been changed. She returned the notice by post, and on going to the booth to voto found that fclie had been struck off the roll. Ernest James Collett gave evidence as to posting the notice lef erred to by his wife. Adrian John Mason, deputy returning officer for the local option poll at the Petone school, said one Webb was in attendance at the booth. He had not charge of a ballot box. Mr. James : So far as you were concerned,, he was a mere stranger. Witness : 1 don't know what he was doing. He came and took up a position in the booth. I thought he might be in charge of something. To Mr. Skerrett : Witness's brother was deputy returning oth'cer at the same booth. He had nothing to do with tho licensing poll. He would not swear that Webb did not say to his (witness's) brother that he would have to hurry the voters through and that the passage must not be blocked. Mr. Skerrett described this tittle-tat-tle as contemptibly small. Pressed by counsel, witness said he first mentioned this matter to his brother, and he also mentioned it to M-\ Ostler. WAS HE AN OFFTCIAL? Lawrence H. Arcus, teacher, said he acted as poll clerk in the M to Z booth in the Petone school. lie remembered Webb being in the school, but did not know what he was doing. On one occasion when Mr. Mason had ordered three pi-ople out of the booth because the number inside was in excess of that allowed by law, Webb came in and said ho could nol have the passage blocked. Allen Kitchen, postmaster at Trentham, who acted as deputy returning officer for the electoral poll at the Trentham booth, said he concluded his count on the clay of the poll at five minutes past 7 p.m. He sealed up the ballot papers and took them home. The licensing papers for the Trentham booth were also left in his charge. This was done for the sake of convenience. The papers were sent on to the Returning Officer next morning by the man who delivered the papers before the election. Mr. Atkinson : Why did you not return the papers on the nigbt of the poll? Witness : Because the Returning Officer told me they would be Called for on the morning follo\ring the poll. To Mr. Skerrett ; The papers could not possibly have been tampered with aftnr ho took them home. They were al) carefully sealed. Philip David Davis, who acted as deputy returning officer for the licensing pol> at Upper Hutt, stated that after he had put the ballot papers in a parcel, sealed them up, and placed the parcel in the ballot box (which was also sealed) he addressed the ballot box and left it in the courthouse for the night. To Mr. Skerrott : The ballot papers could not bo tampered with. He had acted as a deputy returning officer for 18 years, and the practice followed had always been in vogue. Maud Allendac said she had previously been enrolled on tho Parnell roll (Auckland). She applied to Mi-. Mothes to be enrolled, and informed him that she was on the Parnell roll in her maiden name. Mr. Mothes informed her thai her application for enrolment was not in or,der. She took the paper back and said it did not matter as she was going to Auckland in a couple of

days. The interview took place on 24th October, and she left on the 27th for Auckland. Schreiber Maskell, deputy returning officer at Akatarawa, stated that he kept the ballot papers (sealed up) at his house on the night of the poll and sent them on to the Keturning Officer in the morning. The court adjourned until 10 a.m. to-day. In our report yesterday it was slated that there would be "justification" of tho allegation against Kenneth David Webb. This was an error in telephoning. Petitioner's counsel stated there would bo "qualification."