VOTER CALLED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22314, 26 April 1947, Page 6

VOTER CALLED

HANDWRITING ISSUE DECLARATION FORM , EXPERT CONTRADICTED (P.Aj HAMILTON. April 24. An elector whose vote bad been challenged by the petitioner on the ground that his signature on the decoration as an absentee voter lest November did not correspond with that on his registration card completed in 1933 was called by the respondent in the electoral Dourt to-day to testify that the handwriting in each case was his own. The witness was Arthur William Her-, hert Toms concerning whose handwriting an expert’s evidence was given yesterday afternoon. Toms this morning identified the writing on the registration card, on the electoral purge card and on the declaration card as his own. His employment had changed since 1938. giving him far writing to do than formerly. Witness was asked by Mr. R. Hardie Poys. for the respondent to write out the details on the registration card, includmg the signature in his present hand, to enable Ihe Court to comnare the result with his writing at a polling booth on emotion day. Mr. W. J. Sim. K.C.. for the petitioner, made a formal obiection to the admissibility of the evidence h v Toms. The Chief, Justice, Sir Humphrey O’Leary, poiffied out that Mr.. S'm had yesterday called the evidence of Herbert P. Mourant handwriting expert, who gave an opinion that the signatures were not (if the rme person unless the writing had changed greatly. “You can’t have one rule for you and one rule for the other side.” said the chief justice.