RAGLAN ELECTION PETITION

Evening Star, Issue 26041, 4 March 1947, Page 6

RAGLAN ELECTION PETITION

THE PRELIMINARIES

PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS GRANTED

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, March 3. In the election court constituted to hear the Raglau election petition application was made to-day on behalf of the petitioner,. Mr Hallyburton Johnstone, the National candidate for the seat during the election, for the production to the court by the Clerk of the House of Representatives of the various election papers and records which had been committed to his custody after the election. Application was also made for production by the Registrar of Electors of certain electoral records held by him. On behalf of these officials, it was stated by Mr A. E. Currie, Crown solicitor, that the records required would! be placed in the custody of the court, so that all the documents would be available to the court to enable it to deal with the petition. The applicant also asked for the-right to inspect certain of these documents before the hearing of the petition took place. It was explained to the court that the records of which inspection was desiredl would not in any way infringe the secrecy of the ballot, but that an inspection of these records by the parties prior to the hearing would enable them to prepare their cases, and so save the - time of the court at the hearing. Among the papers of which the , petitioner sought inspection were applications for votes made by Maori electors of the Western Maori electorate who were resi-

dent in the Raglan electorate

This was opposedon the. ground that any order made should be confined, to the records of the

Raglan electorate, and should not / extend to the records of another electorate, such as Western Maori. The court intimated that it would be • prepared to make the orders sought, except in the case of the application for an inspection of the votes in the Western Maori electorate, on which point the court reserved Its decision. Counsel for the petitioner are Mr W. J. Sim, K.C., and Mr R. E. Tripe. Counsel for Mr A.- C. ■ Baxter, the Labour candidate, is Mr T. P. Clear. Mr Currie appears for the Clerk of the House, and various -electoral officers. The Chief Justice, Sir Humphrey O’Leary, and the senior puisne judge, Mr Justice Blair, presided l . The trial of the petition lodged by Mr Johnstone will begin at the Supreme Court, Hamilton, on Monday, April 14. The Chief Justice and Mr Justice Blair will preside.