WAVE RELIEF FUND

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

WAVE RELIEF FUND

donations received TOTAL STILL GROWING Donations are still being received for the special relief fund opened by the Mayor, following last month s tidal wave at Tatapouri, when the homes of Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Hall and Mr. L. Robinson wifre destroyed. The totals are steadily growing and to date Mr. and Mrs. Hall have £222 2s 3d standing to their credit, while the fund for Mr, Robinson totals £47 2s 2d. The state of the funds is as follows: MR. AND MRS. HALL £ s d

cause the declaration was not witnessed bv the deputy-returning officer, said the list included two names which were challenged by the respondent for the same reason View of Authorities Mr. Cleary said it was difficult to oppose the objections in these cases, where the law appeared to be definite. ■‘The authorities are against the view which I would very much like to place before this court,” said Mr. Cleary. The Chief Justice: That often happens, doesn’t it? Mr. Sim announced that of six votes challenged because tiie declaration signature did not correspond with that on the registration card, three would not be proceeded with for a reason simiJar to that iri the case of the four married women. The purge cards had now been located for three of the voters, but the other three would still be challenged. The first case heard was that of Arthur W. H. Toms, of Ngaruaw'ahia, railway employee. Miller, recalled to the witness box, said the card returned by Toms during the purge of the roll last year was; like that of Mrs. Dromgool confirming her marriage, found in a shed a few days before the hearing of the present petition began this month. It had been tiled in numerical order with the rolls in a room separate from that where the registration cards were. To Mr. R. Hardie Boys, for the respondent, Miller said he considered the signature returned by Toms on the purge card and that on the declaration were those of the same person.

Haliiday, who also gave formal evidence concerning this card, said the purge cards were in .the storeroom on the night when the comparison of the signatures should have been made after the election. “Not by Same Rerson” Herbert P. Mourant, handwriting expert, said the writing on both sides of Toms’ application for enrolment was cruder than that on the purge card and declaration. He considered that the signature on the application for enrolment and the signature on the declaration were not those of the same person. Mr. Hardie Boys, cross-examining: Do you agree that handwriting experts sometimes differ? Witness: Yes. Mourant was asked if he recalled giving evidence in a forgery case heard in Wellington in 1932. The Chief Justice, to Mourant: It may help you to recall that 1 was one of the counsel appearing in that case. Witness: 1 know: I have appeared against you sometimes, sir. Witness, cross-examined further, said a layman would be entitled to think that the signatures/on the purge card and on the declaration were those of the’.same person, but lie did not consider the same could be said of the 194 G declaration and the 1938 enrolment form. There were some points of similarity, but’ many of dissimilarity. The Chief Justice, when Mourant',s examination ended, said to him: ‘‘lt may be some consolation to you to know that in the case in Wellington about which you were questioned you appeared for me (laughter)—and we lost. Mourant said he had appeared in many cases for many counsel, and he was often on the winning side. Mr. Hardie Boys: I know that you have appeared for me on occasions, and we have won, too. The court adjourned until to-dav.

Previously acknowledged .. 217 10 3 C and C. Cooke 1 1 0 J F. Jeune, Ltd. 1 1 0 A. K. Graham 5 0 M. Campbell 5 0 W. Hoe .. .. 5 0 B. Fletcher 5 0 E. Freeman 5 0 H. Kinge .. .. 5 0 G. Climo . . 5 0 C. Goodson 5 0 Thain and Finlay 10 0 Total .. £222 2 3 MR. L. ROBINSON £ s d Previously acknowledged . . 38 IS 2 “Sympathiser” !! i 10 0 T. Hansen .. 0 0 J. F. Jeune .. 4 0 0 A. K. Graham b 0 M. Campbell .. 5 0 W. Hoe 5 0 B. Fletcher 5 0 E. Freeman 5 0 H. Kinge . . 5 0 C. Goodson b 0 Thain and Finlay 10 0 Total .. £17 2 2