DUNEDIN NORTH ELECTION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVI, Issue LVI, 15 January 1909, Page 5

DUNEDIN NORTH ELECTION.

WELLINGTON, January 14.

It has been decided to open the hearing of Mr Barclay's petition in regard to the Dunedin North election on January 28 at Dunedin before Mr Justice Williams and Mr Justice Denniston. The petitioner was defeated by a very narrow majority, the successful candidate by a few votes being Mr G. M. Thomson, an Oppositionist. A package of ballot papers disappeared mysteriously after the re-count, and nothing has since been heard of them. However, this has not been included among the grounds of the petition, Mr Barclay relying mainly upon the returning officer's action in regard to the alleged double voting as a reason for upsetting the election. A number of votes were disallowed by the returning officer on the ground that they were duplicates, while Mr Barclay contends that they were not, and that sufficient votes were thus disallowed as to turn the election in his opponent's favor.