DUNEDIN NORTH ELECTION

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2406, 22 January 1909, Page 5

DUNEDIN NORTH ELECTION

PETITION LODGED. (Press Association.) » LINE DIN, Jan. 21. This morning, in the Supremo Court, the petition and objections of A. !!. Barclay and G. M. Thomson, respectively, concerning the Dunedin North election were ‘lodged. Air. Barclay's petition, alter citing the alleged improperly allowed or disallowed rotes, tables reasons as under: (1) Two voters were aliens, and were not British subjects when enrolled, and were not entitled to be enrobed: (2) Seven voters are disqualified from voting. (3) One absent voter’s vote should bo disqualified according to law. (4) One other rote should be treated as informal. The respondent's objections may be summarised as under: (I) Six rotes mentioned in. tlic .petition were properly disallowed iby the returning officer. (2) In .addition to the votes allowed to Mr. Thomson at the election ho should hare received two rotes given for him .under the number 2220, which ' rotes were improperly disallowed iby the returning officer on the alleged ground that one person had voted in two different polling places, whereas two different persons had voted for him in two different polling places. (3) The rote of the absent rotor recorded in Mi is favor as .mentioned in the petition was rightly recorded. <4) It was not correct, as alleged in the petition, that some batjot papers rejected as informal were valid votes recorded in favor ol the petitioner, hut some of the taJlm papers were valid votes given for the respondent, (a) On the above grounds and because the petitioner should have boon disallowed all votes mentioned in the list of votes objected th b.v the respondent, respondent said that petitioner .would not have received a majority of valid \otes io-< corded. (G) A general recount of votes could not no w he made ns seventeen of the ballot papers used at the election and containing rotes given and recorded in the respondent’s favor had been abstracted from the custody of the returning officer, and could not be found.