GENERAL ELECTIONS

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18286, 23 December 1919, Page 7

GENERAL ELECTIONS

LATEST FIGURES. i CHRISTCHURCH EAST. The official count for Christchurch.

IRREGULARITIES ALLEGED. [Per Press Association.] 1 DUNEDIN, December 22. In connection with tho Dunedin South election Mr W. R. Clarke, scrutineer for Mr J. T. Paul, has for-' warded a communication to the Chief Electoral (Officer, alleging certain irregularities during the recount of the votes and the counting of absent votes, It is understood that legal advice i 3 to be obtained to decide whether steps should be taken in the Supreme Court to have the election declared void. Mr Clarke’s letter alleges that on his attending the returning officer’s office at 9 a.m. on December 19, the place and hour appointed for tho official recount, he found that seventeen parcels of ballot papers had been opened and some four thousand papers numbered arithmetically, and such parcels had not been again sealed. These parcels had been opened on the previous day, and been left overnight in unsealed bundles; that certain ballot papers had been tampered with by the returning officer to the extent of opening sealed corners of such ballot papers, thereby disclosing the of the voter; that an unlocked and unsealed ballot box had been used to receive and retain tho absent voters’ ballot papers; that tho whole proceedings of opening parcels and counting votes without giving written notice to his candidate or his scrutineer was a breach of the Legislature Act; that the sorutiny of the rolls should, in accordance with the Legislature Act, have preceded tho counting of votes.

East resulted os follows:— H. T. J. Thacker . , 6571 H, Hunter . . ... 8631 Informal . * . 216 There are still four absent voters’ papers to come to hand. CHRISTCHURCH SOUTH. The official count in Christchurch South resulted: — E. J. Hownrd (Lab.) * . 6068 H. Holland (I.) . . . 3401 Informal . . . 213 Majority for Howard . 1667 There axe some 30 or 40 votes yet to come. It was apparent that a number of the informal votes cast in Christchurch South were deliberately made informal. On many papers both the candidates’ names were struck out, or a stroke was made right atfl-oss the paper. Mr T. W. Iteese, the Christchurch South Rotuming Officer, completed his official count on Saturday night, with the exception of special votes, and the whole figures were brought up to date early this morningRICCARTON. The latest returns from the Riccarton electorate are as under:— G. Witty . . . . 2948 W. R. Hevereux « . ». 2320 J. Robertson » . » 1965 Informal . . * 89 Total w 7822 A few absent votoa have yet to be counted, but they cannot affect the result. KAIAPOL The final count of the votes in the Kaiapoi electorate, including 165 absent voters’ permits, took place last night. The result is as under:— D. Jones . . * . 2680 D, Buddo . . * . 2£28 0. M. Williams ■ « * 1620 Majority for Jones a 62 TEMUKA. The addition of absentee votes reduces Mr Burfiett’s majority over Mr Talbot for the Toinuka seat from 35 to 29. An official count is in progress. DUNEDIN SOUTH. The official count was Completed at noon yesterday, with the, following resuit:— T. K. Sidey , „ * 4381 J. T. Paul . n , « 4304 Informal . •’ K 125 OHINEMURI. Absent voters and soldiers polled! as follows:— H. Poland « , . * 75 J. Clark . « . .69