THE NEWTON ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8527, 30 March 1891, Page 5

THE NEWTON ELECTION.

JDn Saturday Mr. J. A. Beale, Returning Officer for the Newton election, received a letter from Sydney from Sir George Grey, in which the latter consented to be nominated as a candidate for the Newton seat. There seems to have been very little in the point raised as to the legality of the nomination, since Sir George Grey signed the nomination paper before he left Auckland, and though the signature was written bofore the issue of the writ for the election, It was legal, and would have been accepted. The Act does not state when consent shall be given, and the returning officer is not bound to take notice of the fact that the candidate is out of the colony. However, the receipt of Sir George Grey's letter has set at rest any donbt as to his" formal consent. The nominations for tho Newton seat are to close to-morrow.

In respect of disputed questions of law in the regulation of elections, a curious circumstance has been pointed out. If a returning officor is confronted with a question of law, and cannot, as a layman, decide it, he may, of course, take logal advice ; but there is tho strange fact that the money which he so expends may not be refunded to him by tho Government, and he -rill thus have to bear the loss. It sometimes happens, of course, that a returning oiiicor shall be a solicitor; but the Act does not specially provide that this shall ">e so, and there are many who are not solicitors.