ILLEGAL PRACTICE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 145, 16 December 1933, Page 14

ILLEGAL PRACTICE

INFLUENCING OF VOTES

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHUBCH, December 15. Tho practice of distributing party tickets at election booths was declared illegal by Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., this morning- in proceedings which were treated as a test case. Albert Edward Forsey was charged that on November 30, while a poll was being taken for tho Christchurch .Tramway Board, ho interfered with electors on the way to tho polling booth, with the intention of influencing them as to their votes. A judgment of Mr. Justice Blair in tho case Cogswell v.' Morgan was freely quoted during the. hearing. Tho Magistrate said that tho law was quite clear on tho point. Counsel for the defendant said that the case was an important one, and of national interest. The defendant had acted under instructions from the committee which had had legal advice on the matter. The Magistrate: Legal advice? Counsel: the legal- advice of anyone in Christchurch, but from Wellington. The Magistrate: I am pleased to hear that. Counsel said that the cards were given out to inform electors that certain candidates were in fact standing for a certain party. It' was an offer of information, and open only to those willing to take it. It was.an accepted method of electioneering. The Magistrate: The point is that it is against the law. I am here only to administer the law. The Court is not concerned with parties or electioneering; they are irrelevant matters. The defendant was fined £2, with COStS; . ~ . Three similar eases are to bo heard this afternoon. ■ ;i