ELECTION DISPUTE

Northern Advocate, 19 July 1933, Page 4

ELECTION DISPUTE

STRATFORD MAYORALTY. NO COSTS FOR MR McMTLLAM. (Special to "Northern Advocate.") STRATFORD, Tuesday. An echo of the recent Mayoral pute and second election was heard in the Magistrate's Court today when Mr W. IT. Woodward, S.M., in a reserved decision, declined to allow costs in favour of the Mayor, Mr J. W. McMillau, against the petitioners on the clause affecting him, which failed. "Were 1 to award costs to Mr McMillan," said Mr Woodward, "I would have to award to petitioners costs against the returning officer on the clause upon which the petition was successful. As the tearing out of two vot- | ing papers instead of one, upon which j the issue of the election was upset, was | a pure mischance and not really negliI gence, 1 am not disposed to award costs j against the returning officer. i "Petitioners, in so far as they atj tacked Mr McMillan's personal con* |duct," the magistrate added, "used j temperate language. What they allegj ed against him was largely true, though I not sufficient to upset the election.''

At the election in May, Messrs J. W. McMillan and P. Thomson (retiring Mayor) polled an equal number of votes, Mr McMillan being appointed Mayor on the toss of a coin. Mr McMillan's first act as Mayor was to bring about the dismissal of the'electrical engineer, the streets engineer, the partes curator, and several of the streets staff. A petition was lodged against the election on various grounds, including irregularities at the counting, and a n«w election was ordered. At the second election on June 23, the voting was:— ■■ McMillan, Ml; Thomson, 717; majority for McMillan, 264.