EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19261, 27 August 1924, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION

ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES. PETITION DISMISSED. fPzs United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, August 26. The hearing was continued in the Magistrate's Court to-day of the case in which a number of the electors of the HuttPetone urban area asked for an order declaring void the AVellington Education Board's recent election. A youth, Kraft, employed by the board, under cross-examination, adhered to his evidence as to the methods of clearing the board’s Post Office box. lie took the letters out one by one. William Collier Clark, another youth In the board's employ, stated that on neither June 24 nor June 26 did he lind a notice for a' registered letter among the mail which was brought to the,board’s office by Kraft. Counsel for the defence said that the candidate himself must take responsibility of seeing that his name was included in the nomination. The place of nomination m this case was the Education Board office. As to the duties of the returning officer counsel said he could have sat in his office all day and still have performed his duty to the fullest, but. he did everything that was incumbent on him and a good deal more. Counsel for petitioners urged that viewing the matter broadly there was a distinct invitation in the circular to send nominations to the Post Office. The name of Ernest Dawson was not the only one omitted. There was the case of a man from Otaki. In dismissing the petition the Magistrate (Mr Page) said it was clear on the £icts that the allegations had not been estab-. lished. There was no dereliction of duty on the part of the returning officer or on the part of his officers. “The only tiling is that the notice put in on the 24th did not reach him until the 2.8 th.” Costs totalling £8 (is were allowed respondents.