The Harbor Election.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 39, 15 February 1901, Page 2

The Harbor Election.

A PETITION TO BE LODGED. A petition is to be lodged asking that the recent harbor election for the borough seats shall be declared yoid. Any such petition must be lodged within fourteen days, and must be heard within fourteen days from the tune of being lodged. We understand that the grounds of the petition will be that irregularities occurred tending to defeat the fairness of the election, it being alleged that votes were counted that had not been deposited in the proper ballot box, and that as these votes affected the two candidates declared elected, the declaration was therefore wrong. Another ground is that the returning officer himself voted at the election, as well as giving his casting vote, and that this affected the election. We understand it is alleged that? three different counts were taken; that in the first Mr Joyce and Mr Pettie headed the poll; that on the second count votes were taken out of the county box that had evidently been put there by mistake, thus placing [Mr Pettie at the head of the poll, and Messrs Whinray and Joyce equal for second place, On the third count, strange to say, Mr Joyce was, it is said, head of the poll, and the other two equal for second place. The poll was declared on the second count, that being practically, with the addition of the votes, a confirmation of the first count. On the_ other hand, if the Returning Officer voted foi' any of the candidates elected^—which; of course would not be known unless: acknowledged or on a scrutiny—it would make rather a curious complication, for in that case it might turn out that the three were equal. What would happen in that case we. leave to the lawyers to decide. No such thing as fraud will be imputed in the petition.