ELECTORAL FORMS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 55, 14 September 1928, Page 11

ELECTORAL FORMS

FALSE SIGNATURES MADE "ACTED IN IGNORANCE" No person can sign another person's name to an electoral form. Alexander Houston did, and the seriousness of his offence was made apparent in tho Magistrate's Court to-day. He was charged with having signed the names "John Houston" and "Elizabeth Houston" to applications for registration as electors. A charge was also made against Woolf Phillips that he signed his name as a witness to a signature purporting to bo that of Elizabeth Houston without having seen such signature written. Sub-Inspector Lauder said that Alexander Houston was at his brother John's house on 6th August. On that evening John Houston had two applications for registration, one for himself and one for his wife. Alexander Houston filled in both forms and signed them "John Houston" and "Elizabeth Houston" respectively. The following day John Houston took both forms to Mr. Phillips, who signed them as witness, although he had not seen tho signatures of either John or Elizabeth Houston written. A warning note was printed at the bottom of each form, and the penalty provided was a fine up 'to £50. A note, added Mr. Lander, had been received by the police from tho Chief Electoral Officer to the effect that the offences were considered serious, particularly so now that the Department was compiling the rolls, for the' forthcoming General Election. As far as he knew, though, it was the first prosecution of its kind which had been brought, at least this year. When questioned the defendants had been quite frank in the matter. Alexander Houston had filled the forms in at the dictation of his brother; Mrs. Houston and John Houston could quite easily have signed their own names. Counsel for the defendants, Mr. Webb and Mr. J. Scott, submitted that thoy had not acted with aiiy intention of fraud. The Houstons had desired to become registered, and had simply gone tho wrong way about it. The Magistrate (Mr. E. Page, S.M.) said it was clear that there had been no intention by tho defendants to dofeat any of the provisions of the statute. "It was probably ignorance orcarlessne.ss,"he added, "that caused the forms to be filled in in this way." Houston was ordered to pay 10s costs on tho first charge, and he was convicted and discharged on the second. Phillips was ordered to pay costs, 10s.