July 27.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2329

(v.) Are you disqualified from voting at any such election by reason of any of the provisions of section 59 of the Legislature Amendment Act, 1910?

27. If the first two questions are not answered absolutely in the affirmative, and the third, fourth, and fifth questions absolutely in the negative, the person to whom those questions are put shall not be permitted to vote.

28. No person not actually engaged in voting shall be allowed to remain in the polling-booth, except the Deputy Returning Officer and his associate and clerks, and as many constables as the Deputy Returning Officer thinks necessary to keep order.

29. No person shall speak to any voter in a polling-booth either before or after such voter has given his vote, except only the Deputy Returning Officer or his associate, who may ask the questions he is authorized to ask, and give such general directions as may assist any voter to give his vote.

30. (1.) Every Deputy Returning Officer, at the polling-place at which he presides, shall, as soon as practicable after the close of the poll, in the presence of such of the scrutineers as choose to be present, and of the associate and clerks (if any), but of no other persons, ascertain the number of votes recorded for and against the proposal respectively, and shall forthwith announce the result of the voting at the polling-place of which he is in charge.

(2.) Every Deputy Returning Officer shall, as soon as he has ascertained the result of the voting at the polling-place of which he is in charge, forthwith transmit by telegraph or other expeditious means such information to the Returning Officer.

(3.) The Deputy Returning Officer shall then make up a statement in writing of the total number of votes recorded for and against the proposal respectively, and every such statement shall be verified by the signatures of the Deputy Returning Officer and associate, and also by the signatures of such of the scrutineers as are present and consent to sign the same.

31. The Deputy Returning Officer shall make up into a parcel all the voting-papers (used and unused), stationery, writing-materials, and documents relating to the poll (including the statement referred to in the last preceding regulation), and, having sealed and addressed such parcel, shall thereupon deliver it to the Returning Officer.

32. (1.) The Returning Officer shall, as soon as conveniently may be after the closing of the poll, and in the presence of such scrutineers as choose to be present, ascertain the numbers polled for or against the proposal submitted to the electors, and shall sign a notice and declaration, in the form No. 7 in the Schedule hereto, (i) stating the number of votes polled for and against such proposal respectively, and (ii) declaring that such proposal is or is not carried, as the case may be.

(2.) If the number of votes recorded for the proposal is equal to the number recorded against the proposal, the Returning Officer shall give his casting-vote.

(3.) The Returning Officer shall forward to the Native Minister the notice and declaration aforesaid as to the result of the poll, and shall also publish a copy thereof in the Kahiti and Gazette.

(4.) Upon receipt of the notification from the Returning Officer the Native Minister shall notify the Licensing Committee of the licensing district in which the Maori district is situated of the result of the poll, or if the latter district extends into more than one licensing district, then the Native Minister shall notify the Licensing Committee of each licensing district affected.

33. The Returning Officer or his Deputy shall have power to appoint a sufficient number of officers to keep order, and to make and enforce such regulations for insuring the orderly, effective, and impartial conduct of the election as he thinks fit.

34. (1.) Every officer, clerk, scrutineer, associate, and constable in attendance in a polling-booth shall maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of the voting in such booth, and shall not communicate to any person, except for some purpose authorized by law, before or after the poll is closed, any information likely to defeat the secrecy of the poll.

(2.) No person, except as hereinbefore provided, shall interfere with or attempt to interfere with a voter when engaged in recording his vote, or otherwise attempt to obtain in the polling-booth information as to the manner in which any voter in such booth is about to vote or has voted, or communicate at any time to any person any information obtained in the polling-booth as to the manner in which any voter at such booth is about to vote or has voted.

(3.) Every person in attendance at the counting of the votes shall maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of the voting, and shall not communicate any information obtained at such counting as to the manner in which any vote is given in any particular voting-paper.

COST OF TAKING POLL.

35. The Returning Officer shall, at least three weeks before the taking of the poll, submit to the Chairman of the Maori Council of the district wherein the poll is to be taken an estimate showing as nearly as he can ascertain the cost of taking the poll.

36. The Maori Council shall pay to the Returning Officer the amount of the cost as so estimated at least two weeks before the date of taking the poll.

37. At the conclusion of the poll the Returning Officer shall submit to the Chairman of the Council a full and complete statement (supported by vouchers) of the cost of taking the poll, and shall refund to the Council any amount received by him in excess of that cost; or if the estimated cost is less than the actual cost, the Council shall defray the amount properly expended in excess of the amount already paid by it as aforesaid.

SCHEDULE.

Form No. 1.

VOTING-PAPER AT POLL OF MAORI ELECTORS UNDER SECTION 46 OF THE LICENSING AMENDMENT ACT, 1910.

PUKAPUKA POOTI (Voting-paper).

………………… Maori District.

Ko te Ingoa Iriiri, Maori hoki, o te Tangata Pooti (Christian name and surname of elector)

Tane, Wahine ranei (Sex)

Iwi (Tribe)

Hapu (Sub-tribe)

Kainga (Abode)

Consecutive No. :

Consecutive No. :

PATAI (Question).

E pooti ana ranei koe kia hoatu te waipiro ki te Maori o tenei takiwa? [Yes]

(Do you vote that liquor be supplied to the Natives of this district?) [No]

Kai-titiro : (Witness. Maori associate.)

…………………

Deputy Returning Officer.

Form No. 2.

DECLARATION BY RETURNING OFFICER, DEPUTY RETURNING OFFICER, OR SUBSTITUTE AT POLL OF MAORI ELECTORS UNDER SECTION 46 OF THE LICENSING AMENDMENT ACT, 1910.

I, [Name in full], Returning Officer [or one of the Deputy Returning Officers, or substitute] for the Maori District, at a poll of electors to be taken under section 46 of the Licensing Amendment Act, 1910, on the day of , 19 , do solemnly declare that I will faithfully perform the duties of that office to the best of my ability; that I will maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of the voting at that poll; and that I will not communicate to any person, except for some purpose authorized by law, before or after the poll is closed, any information likely to defeat the secrecy of the poll.

[Signature of declarant.]

Signed and declared at , this day of , 19 , before me,—

C. D.,

Justice of the Peace [or Postmaster].