VOTING BY PROXY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 17 August 1929, Page 5

VOTING BY PROXY.

DISCUSSION AT WANGAEHU. Emphatic protests against the system of voting 'by proxy were made at the annual meeting of the Wangaehu ■Co-operative Dairy Company on Thursday. Shortly after the commencement of proceedings Mr A. H. Rider asked the chairman, Mr S. Woodhill, why it was that a number of shareholders who could have attended the meeting had not done so. A number of these had sent in proxies. This iwas unfair and was against rule 15 of the association’s articles. He warned the chairman that if he proceeded with the election of directors it would be upset. In saying that the election would be held, the chairman stated that any responsibility in connection with the election would be accepted. The discussion then lapsed. In a statement to a Wanganui “Chronicle” representative at the con. elusion of the meeting, Mr Rider stated that more would be heard of the matter in the near future. He had sought two legal opinions on the question, and there was no doufbt that the election would be declared void. He had issued the warning in all sincerity. He iwas taking the stand as he was convinced that besides being illegal the voting was unfair. He .hoped his action would have the affect of preventing interested parties from combing the district in search of votes. At the present time it. appeared as though a director could almost be elected by proxies. On this occasion there were in the vicinity of 30 such votes, the majority of which could probably be taken as a 1)1 ock vote, 90 per cent, of which he considered illegal.