THE STANMORE ELECTION PETITION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 6501, 16 February 1882, Page 3

THE STANMORE ELECTION PETITION.

(united press association.) CHRISTCHURCH, February 15. The petition of Cowlishaw against Mr PilUett, M.H.R. for Stanmore, Jwas heard to-day. The reasons set forth were I—That jMr Pilliet, by his agents, had offered Mr Henry Toomer £l2, or some other large sum, to induce him to retire from the candidature, and that Mr Toomer had in consequence retired J that he had, in like manner, engaged an elector named John Scott as clerk to the Committee ; that he bad engaged a conveyance for the purpose of bringing up electors to the polling booth ; that he had a larger number of Committee rooms—all paid for—than the Act allowed ; that electors had been treated on the polling day, either before or after they had polled; that the respondent had offered Mr Alfred Thompson a valuable consideration, that he would act gratuitously as that gentleman’s parliamentary agent in Wellington ; that ho had engaged Mr Hubert Medley as scrutineer, paying him a guinea for the day, and had not given Mr Medley’s name to the Returning Officer. The petition alleged further grounds, on which it prayed that the election of Mr Pilliett might be declared void. A large quantity of evidence was taken, and the case adjourned till to-morrow. It is expected to last till Saturday.