INVERCARGILL LOCAL OPTION.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6930, 1 February 1906, Page 2

INVERCARGILL LOCAL OPTION.

AN IMPORTANT RULING. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, This Day. Ia connection with the local option jietition, the Court hold that informal votes could not be cast for reduction and nolicense, and for all practical purposes must be treated as votes for continuance. It als > ruled that absent voters' parinits allowed the holders to vote on the licensing poll. The Chairman said tha Court wa= unanimous in its judgment. With regard to the irregularities, the evidence disproved the whole of them with reference to illiterates. Though there had been irregularities on the part of an offical they were such as should not invalidate the votes. In regard to official seals being absent from certain papers, the Court was unable to take the view of petitioners. Unsealed papers were not to be treated as informal unless there was reason to believe that that they were fraudulent, Ineffective voting papers could not be accepted as votes having been recorded. The law disregards the voice of the elector who speaks through an informal ballot paper, and he could not be considered a voter. Of the votes disallowed, one had two lines and part of a third deleted, and one had a line across the back and two bore writing. The costs amounted to II guineas.