ELECTION RETURNS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLV, Issue XLVIII, 18 December 1914, Page 4

ELECTION RETURNS

EXTRAORDINARY DELAY DENIED

It has been .suggested in some quarters that there has been greater delay" than usual in announcing.the 'final results of elections this year. Wheiij approached by; a "Post" reporter, the Chief . Electoral' Officer (Mr J. Hislop) gave an emphatio denial to these statements. ~.., "The statement that there'jhas been nn extraordinary, delay in the. announcement of the final figures of the various contests," he said, "and that at previous elections the electors have known, within a few hours of the results, absent voters' permits and all, is entirely contrary, to fact. * ■• -■■■';'-.' '■.■-

"There is no alteration in the (procedure under the Legislature Act .this.' . ;; year and that of previous elections. What is termed, in the Act the preliminary, count after the closing of the poll is' undertaken by the Deputy-Returning Officer, and each Deputy; Returning Offi* cei-j immediately after ascertaining the number of votes recorded' for the several candidates, makes up into separate parcels the used ballot ipapersf etc.. each ; parcel in accordance with section i.37,r . sub-section 2, Legislature Act, being sealed by the Deputy-Returning and by such scrutineers present as de» sire to affix their seals, and with all possible despatch to the RetuVi> ing Officer. As soon as-these are'to hand the Act provides that the Returning; ' . Officer shall make aTrahgemehts for. the* scrutiny of the rolls, -and shall give notice in writing to each of the candidates of the time and place at which he shall commence his scrutiny. . After , ' this work has been completed the. Re- ' : / turning Officer shall, with such assistance. ias he deems necessary, and in the pxes- • ! ence of such scrutineers an<&; v [also in the presence of some: justice,'. ' [open the parcels of used ballot papers ; i forthwith, in order to see whether any are informal. .,. '..SubsequentlyV '&&■'.••''.shall," count the number of votes- rejected as ■■' informal, and compare (the 'result of • \ • such count with the v list riis.de by ..the Deputyrßetiirning Office!;" at the preliihiriary count. It was in this count that the error in respect to the votes in Wellington East and Hawke's,Bay ; was'discovered. . ,' . "Iri; the centres, where!polling booths -.:.••, are situated within, a reasonable radius, the Returning Officer can proceed with, the scruTiny of the rolls and the-cbunting; / of the votes within a few -hours .after, tho ....... announcement has beeni made of the suits of the preliminary^count, ':b^. ; ,.fia :'.'. districts like Hawke's Bay, where the electorate extends over a considerable. area, it will be recognised that'the; delayin the return of the electoral rolls andl ballot papers from the booths will rieces-, sarily prevent the Returning Officer from making his official declaration of .the ... count for several days after the General Election. For this reason provision is always made for a week or ten days to elapse from the v date of the ptiLl to 'th'Q date of the.return of the writ,.'in-order, that time may be given the RWnrbimr Officers in. the*scattered, districts id make. , their official xecoivht.' .. • ..", ",.'■'' "This year the General' Election -#as held on the 10th December, and /the writs are returnable oh■', -Satiirday.,,' the ,19th inst. In .two electorates on thre Wtesfc Coast of the ; South Island, I, -"iiave already to agree, to an extension of the date of the return of wjrfts until the -30 th December, as on.account of floods in those districts 'the,/mails have beeit; delaved, and the officers have hot yet received the used ballot back from - a number of' booths. Gonstequently'thev have so far been -unable to carry out the work of the scrutiny, of the rolls or the counting of the votes.