UNCOUNTED BALLOT PAPERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14835, 11 November 1911, Page 8

UNCOUNTED BALLOT PAPERS

LEFT IN THE POST OFFICE.

THE WAITEM AT A POLL.

A deadlock between the addressee of certain packages, and the postal officials has delayed the announcement of the poll taken by the Waitemata County Council on Wednesday on' its loan proposals. The deputy returning-officers have forwarded a large number of returns to the returning-officer (Mr. C. A. Cawkwell) as registered packages. Sevral parcels of papers have been delivered, but some ballot boxes that have arrived at the chief post office have not been forwarded to the Council's office. The postal authorities contend that the returningofficer must call in person at tho post office and take delivery of the boxes. The returning-officer has emphatically declined to do anything of the sort. The post office has collected 2s 8d or thereabouts for postage and registration, and should, he contends, regard the boxes as mail matter, and deliverable to him at his office. Both sides being satisfied yesterday that they were right, the post office left the boxes quietly waiting for tho returning-officer, and the returningofficer sat waiting for the boxes. Mr. Cawkwell decided upon an appeal to headquarters, and telegraphed to tho Post-master-General. Up to last night ho had received no reply. He stated that a few of the boxes had been delivered, but that half a dozen still remained at tho post office. And until the position had been further defined, he was quite willing to let them stay there.