Mar. 11.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 743

14. Voting-papers in the form set forth in the Second Schedule hereto shall be posted by the Returning Officer to each elector within the land district immediately after the publication of the notice prescribed in the preceding regulation.

15. Each voter shall indicate his vote by drawing a line through the names of all the candidates for whom he does not desire to vote, and shall then sign the voting-paper, and post and deliver the same to the Returning Officer in a closed and stamped envelope bearing on the outside the word “Voting-paper.”

16. The voting-paper, if delivered to the Returning Officer, shall be delivered at the office of the Board, or other address fixed by the Returning Officer and notified by him as aforesaid, before or not later than 4 o’clock in the afternoon of the day of the poll, and, if posted to him, must be received by him not later than such time.

17. A voting-paper shall be informal in any of the following cases:—
    (a.) If it is not duly signed by the voter;
    (b.) If more than one candidate’s name is left uncancelled;
    (c.) If the voter votes more than once at the same election;
    (d.) If it does not reach the Returning Officer before the close of the poll.

18. Each candidate may, by writing under his hand, appoint one scrutineer, who may be present at the examination of the voting-papers as hereinafter mentioned.

19. Each Returning Officer, his assistants, poll-clerks, and scrutineer shall, before entering upon their duties as such, make and sign the declaration set forth in the Third Schedule hereto.

20. On the third day after the day of the poll, the Returning Officer, at a time previously notified to all candidates, shall cause to be opened and examined all the voting-papers duly delivered to him, or received by him through the post as aforesaid, and, after rejecting all informal voting-papers, shall ascertain the candidate who has received the greatest number of votes, and shall by notice exhibited in the office of the Board declare such candidate to be elected.

21. The Returning Officer shall, immediately after counting the votes, seal up all voting-papers and transmit the same to the Clerk of the nearest Magistrate’s Court, who shall keep the same for six months thereafter, and shall not open or permit to be opened such packet, except on the order of some Court of competent jurisdiction, and shall at the end of six months effectually destroy the same; and no person shall, save on the order of any such Court, open any such packet or destroy any of the contents thereof.

22. If by reason of an equality of votes given for two or more candidates the election is not complete, the Returning Officer shall complete the election by lot in such manner as he shall think fit.

23. Forthwith after the completion of the election the Returning Officer shall notify in the Gazette, and also by advertisement in a newspaper published in the district, the name of the person elected, the number of valid votes recorded for each candidate, the total number of valid votes recorded, and the total number of votes rejected as informal.

24. Any dispute as to the validity of the election of a member of a Land Board as aforesaid shall be determined by the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the land district, whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

FIRST SCHEDULE.

NOMINATION-PAPER OF MEMBER OF LAND BOARD.

We, [A. B., C. D., &c.], being owners of a lease [or license] of Crown lands in the Land District of , and qualified as electors of the Land Board of the same district, hereby nominate [Set out full Christian name and surname and address of the candidate the electors wish to nominate] as a candidate for election to the above-named Board at the election to be held on .

Dated at , this day of , 19 .
A. B.
C. D.

I hereby consent to be nominated as above.

(Signature of nominated Candidate.)

SECOND SCHEDULE.

VOTING-PAPER.

Voting-paper for Use at Election to be held on the day of , 19 , of Member of the Land Board of the Land District of .

CANDIDATES.

[Set out in alphabetical order of surnames the full name and address of every duly nominated candidate.]

DIRECTIONS.

The number of candidates to be elected is one.

The voter must draw a line through the name of every candidate except the one for whom he desires to vote, and only one name must be left uncancelled.

This voting-paper must be signed by the elector and delivered to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, , in a closed envelope before 4 o’clock in the afternoon of the day of , 19 , or, if posted to him, must be so posted in a stamped envelope as to reach him not later than such time.

The envelope must bear on the outside the word “Voting-paper.”

My vote is hereby recorded as above, this day of , 19 .

(Signature of Voter.)

THIRD SCHEDULE.

DECLARATION.

I, [A. B.], Returning Officer for the Land Board [or assistant to, or poll-clerk for, the Returning Officer for the Land Board] [or scrutineer for C. D., a candidate at the present election of a member of the Land Board], do solemnly and sincerely declare that I will, to the best of my skill and judgment, faithfully and impartially perform the duties of my said office, and will not, directly or indirectly, disclose any fact coming to my knowledge at such election regarding the state of the poll before the final declaration thereof by the Returning Officer, or make known for which candidate any voter has voted.

A. B.,
Returning Officer [or as the case may be].

Declared and signed before me, at , this day of , 19 .

E. F.,
Justice of the Peace [or Solicitor of the Supreme Court].

J. HISLOP,
Acting Clerk of the Executive Council.

Regulations for a System of Ballot under “The Land Act, 1908,” and “The Land for Settlements Act, 1908.”

PLUNKET, Governor.

ORDER IN COUNCIL.

At the Government House, at Wellington, this ninth day of March, 1909.

Present:

His Excellency the Governor in Council.

WHEREAS by sections three and one hundred and six of “The Land Act, 1908,” and section eighty-four of “The Land for Settlements Act, 1908” (hereinafter termed “the said Acts”), it is enacted that the Governor may make regulations as to the mode in which ballots are to be conducted and for preference being given to certain applicants at such ballots:

Now, therefore, His Excellency the Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand, in pursuance and exercise of the power and authority conferred by the said Acts, and acting by and with the consent of the Executive Council of the said Dominion, doth hereby revoke the regulations for a system of ballot made under “The Land Act, 1892,” “The Land for Settlements Consolidation Act, 1900,” and “The Land Laws Amendment Act, 1907,” and published in the New Zealand Gazette of the twelfth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and seven, and doth hereby make the following regulations in lieu thereof; and doth also declare that such regulations shall come into force on the day of the publication thereof in the New Zealand Gazette.

REGULATIONS.

1. On the day appointed for receiving applications for land, each application as it is received shall be numbered in consecutive order, and, in addition, with a rotation number having reference only to the applications made for the particular section or allotment applied for.

PREFERENCE AT BALLOT.

Examination of Applicants.

2. Before taking a ballot or otherwise disposing of applications for land the Board may, in such manner as it thinks fit, inquire into all matters affecting an applicant’s suitability or his right of preference under the said Acts, and