H.—3

1877. NEW ZEALAND.

ALLEGED MALPRACTICES AT THE WAIMATE POLLING PLACE. (FURTHER PAPERS RELATING THERETO, AND REPORT OF INQUIRY HELD BY MAJOR CLARE.)

In continuation of Parliamentary Papers H. 28, 1876.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. Copy of Petition of John Lundon. To the Honorable the House of Eepresentatives of New Zealand in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of John Lundon, of Auckland, in the Colony of New Zealand, settler, showeth, — That your petitioner is an elector of the Electoral District of Mongonui and Bay of Islands, in the Province of Auckland and Colony of New Zealand. That your petitioner was a candidate for the seat representing the said district in your honorable House, rendered vacant by the resignation of John McLeod, Esquire, during the last Parliament, and was also a candidate during the recent general elections to represent the said district in your honorable House. That, in the year 1874, about three hundred duly attested claims by persons entitled to vote in the election of a member to represent the said district in your honorable House were lodged with the Returning Officer of the said district, in the form and within the time as prescribed by the electoral law of New Zealand. That your petitioner's brother, Mr. Patrick Lundon, was the attesting witness to one hundred and fifty-six of the said claims. That though the said persons were fully qualified according to the said law to have their names inserted in the list of persons entitled to vote aforesaid, yet Edward M. Williams, the Returning Officer of the said district, objected to and disallowed one hundred and fifty-five of the said one hundred and fifty-six claims so attested by the said Patrick Lundon, on the alleged ground of insufficient qualification. That, in the year 1875, the said Returning Officer objected to the claims of persons claiming to be entitled to vote as aforesaid, after the expiration of the period allowed by law for making such objections. That, at the instigation and ou the recommendation of the said Returning Officer, some of the polling places withiu the said electoral district were appointed at places in the vicinity whereof there were not twenty electors, as required by law. That, through such recommendation, a very large number of electors were virtually disfranchised by reason of the gross inconvenience of the said polling places to electors desirous of recording their votes. That, in the year 1874, your petitioner was an attesting witness to the claims of four persons who claimed to be entitled to have their names enrolled ou the electoral roll of the said district, and that the qualification upon which the said claims were based consisted of a block of 2,700 acres of freehold land in a locality within the said district known as One, Hokianga, and that tho Returning Officer of the said district, while allowing two of the said claims to be entered upon the said electoral roll, rejected the claims of the other two claimants, notwithstanding that their interest in the said land was in every respect equal to that of the successful claimants. Tour petitioner, therefore, humbly prays that your honorable House will take his petition into your favourable consideration, and grant such relief under the circumstances as to your honorable House may seem meet. And your petitioner will ever pray, &c. John Lundon.