RANGITIKEL SEAT

Northern Advocate, 2 May 1932, Page 5

RANGITIKEL SEAT

FINDING- OP COURT

ELECTION" VALID. (Per Press Association. —Copyright.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Election Court, in. its .-judgment on the Rangitikei petition, decides that Mr Alexander Stuart was elected by a majority of seven valid votes. In the petition as framed it was charged that respondent, by himself and his agents, had been guilty of divers corrupt practices. Some o’f the allegations of corrupt practices were withdrawn, but others were particularised in detail. At the trial all these particular charges were, except for one, abandoned and withdrawn.

Dealing with the complaint that at Marton and Mart,on Junction certain persons, said to have boon respondent’s agents, interfered with voters, the court said there was nothing in the evidence from which to infer that theii activities as checkers affected the result, of the. election. . Concerning . petitioner’s claim that two payments made by the Reform, League to F. M. Marlon, of Taihape, and A. Way, of Marton, were illegal, and must be attributed to respondent as payments made by him or by the League, the court found that they could not be so imputed. The remaining charge was that shortly before tin* election one, J. H. F. Fyfe, of Marton, engine-driver, was reinstated in the Railways Department as the result of respondent’s efforts, or those of some other person on his behalf to induce to vote or refrain from voting. The Court said it was plain, after Fyfe had given evidence that the charge against the respondent was without any foundation in fact and this was admitted by' counsel for the petitioner, who, as soon as he saw the charge could not be justified, very properly' abandoned it. ■As to costs, the Court thought, especially' in view of the allegations of corrupt practice, which turned out to bo quite unfounded, that petitioner should, pay the costs, charges and, ex, penses of the respondent.