Another Licensing Poll Petition

Southland Times, Issue 19035, 1 May 1903, Page 2

Another Licensing Poll Petition

Per United Press Association AUCKLAND, April 30 Mr Hutchison, S.M., heard a petition from certain electors of the Kaiparu licensing 1 district, askftxg Mm to declare the recent licensing poll void on thy grounds (1) that the poll was not open within the hours . minimi by tin- Act : (2) that tho polling booth at Kuukapakapa was not opened on the day of the election and that in consequence many electors wero prevented from voting, M. G. Lambert, the returning officer, said that on the day that he was receiving repliws from persons asked to act as deputy-returning officers he was very bugy. His clerk brought in a telegram and said " Sinclair, Kaukapakapa," and, thinking that Sinclair had accepted, lie wrote that gentleman's name in the list as de-puty-returning oflicer. After the election he You ml that the telegram said that Sinclair was away from home. No booth was opened at^ Kaukapakapa that day. His Wor-' ship said that there were 48 votes between the lowest successful candidate and the next candidate. Mr Palmer argued that the closing of a poll, ipso facto, nullified, the whole election, but his Worship held that this was not so. and tho case was adjourned for a week in order thafc he* might be furnished with additional information.