THE BY-ELECTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5558, 8 April 1905, Page 5

THE BY-ELECTION.

WARD FOLDING RETURNS. At the general election the city will bo divided into thro© wards, each returning a member. The following table shows the votes recorded for the candidates for the by-election on Thursday in each, of tho three divisions of the city:

THE PEOPLE WHO FAILED TO VOTE. There were only seventeen informal votes in. Thursday’s election. A revision of tile figures shows that 7659 people neglected to exorcise the franchise. The figures are:— Voters originally on the roll ... ... ... 19,114 Less voters since struck off 284 ’• 18,830 Valid votes polled ... 11,154 Informal votes ... ... 17 Electors who neglected to vote 7,659 Some of the informal votes were cast by persons who could not make up their minds how to vote, and yet wanted to keep their names on the roll. In one of these cases, the elector took his ballotpaper and scored out the names of all three candidates, whilst another put Iris into the ballot-box without scoring out any. Still another man came along, and on receiving his ballot-paper duly numbered and gummed Mown, contemplatively regarded the three names for some seconds. ‘ Oh,” he said finally, “I won’t vote for anyone at all!” and handing back the paper to the pollclerk, he walked out of the booth. Accordingly, lie ranks as one of the 7659.

Those who laboriously went through the process of casting informal votes merely in order to keep their names on the roll, had their trouble for nothing, hoivever, as the provision of the Electoral Act requiring the Registrar to remove the names of persons who have failed to vote, does not apply in the case of a by-election. Clause 51 of the Electoral Act of 1902 sets forth the law on the jyint, and is quite clear. This clause shows what names are to be expunged, and sub-clause “f” reads as follows : The name of every persoa who, not being a candidate at a general election occurring in the district at which a poll was taken, and not being prohibited by law from voting at such election, appears, from the certified roll transmitted by the returning officer of the district as hereinafter mentioned, not to' have voted at such election. Six seamen’s electoral rights were used in the election, but have not yet come to hand. The official recount of the voting is to be commenced at the Drillshed, the central polling-place, on Monday evening. / Mr Fisher, the newly-elooted member, has received scores of congratulatory telegrams from every part of the colony, from Whangayei to the Bluff. Mr Izard thanks those who voted for him on Thursday, and announces that he will be a candidate for the Wellington North seat at the general election,

WELLINGTON EAST. Fisher. St Mark’s ... 14-i Buckle st. ... 243 Kent terraco 307 Clyde quay ... 351 ■Victoria Hall 223 Hutcheson. 79 111 224 331 103 Izard. 55 170 156 220 155 1268 847 756 CENTRAL. Fisher. Up. Willis st. 301 llechabito Hall 239 Herbert st. -261 Aro st. ... 102 Druids’ Hall 630 Hutcheson, 277 159 158 31 268 Izard. 224 146 180 51 325 1533 896 926 NORTH. Fisher. Drillshcd ... 283 Molosworth st. 112 Sailors’ Best 147 Sydney st. ... 455 Tinakori rd. 81 Willis st. ... 613 Bethune’s ... 200 Hutcheson. 196 81 106 247 74 366 203 Izard. 307 90 90 509 108 431 224 ' 1891 1278 1769 AGGREGATE. East ... Central North Fisher . 1268 , 1533 . 1891 Izard Hutcheson 756 , 847 926 896 1759 1278 4692 3441 3021