ELECTION PETITION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 106, 6 May 1915, Page 8

ELECTION PETITION

,THE TAUMARUNUI SEAT. (BT TELEGRAM— TRESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, This Day. The hearing of the Taumarunui election petition against the return of W. T. Jennings was resumed to-day, bofore Justices Cooper and Chapman. The petitioner, C. K. Wilson, wr-s represented by Mr. A. H. JohnstGnc, and the respondent by Mr. G. P. Finlay. The latter explained that in counting over the voting papers seventy-nine cases of dual voting were discovered. Apart from this number, thirty had been shown on the original petition. He submitted there was still the question of taking the evidence of these people. Ho suggested that it be taken by affidavit. Many of these peopl© had assured him they did not vote twice. N Mr. Justice Chapman remarked that in the Hawkes Bay petition \h& alleged cases of dual voting melted away when investigated. Ho suggested that in some cases the voters had been impersonated. Mr. Johnstone said there were 370 counterfoils issued which bore no roll number, including seventy-nine discovered by the Registrar. He submitted he should be allowed a. scrutiny if tho law points went against him. The Court announced that the position would be fuither considered. It would have te be decided whether further evidence could be taken by affidavit. The Deputy-Registrar's report was te the effect that the result of the examination of the roll was as follows : . Names marked by himßelf on the roll as the result of examination of counterfoils, 7230; names marked on examination of tho local option papers at Hahirakau booth, 187; marked from the rolls, used by the deputy-returning officers, 53; names representing cases of double voting, therefore not shown on the roll, 78; number of counterfoils bearing no roll number, 79; absent voters (less 27 marked on the roll after examination of counterfoils), gSS^total, 7892. Total number of votes according to the return in Returning > Officer's office, 7917. In a number of instances the deputy-return-ing officer had not initialled the counterfofl, as required ,by section 38 of the 1910 Act. In a few instances the official mark was not placed on the counterfoil.