and by 7 & 8 Will. III. c. 25, s. 2, a returning officer is prohibited, under a penalty of £500, from taking any fee or reward for the receipt, return, or execution of any writ. NOTE. The expenses of returning officers are now regulated by the Parliamentary Elections Acts, 38 & 39 Vic. c. 84, and 48 & 49 Vic. c. 62, a digest of which will be found at the end; it gives a scale of payment for clerks, presiding officers, the polling stations, printing, conveyances, &c. : REGULATIONS* to be observed by Election Agents, Sub-agents, and others employed in the Election for the borough (or county) of 1. No bribe of any kind may be offered or accepted under any circumstances whatever. 2. The giving, providing, or accepting of any meat, drink, entertainment or provision to, for, or from any person is strictly forbidden. 3. Any sort of undue influence, whether open violence, threats of temporal or spiritual injury, or any fraudulent device or contrivance, is strictly forbidden. 4. No one may personate a voter, i.e., apply for a ballot paper in the name of another person, or aid, abet, counsel or procure another person to do so. 5. All payments or contracts for payment of travelling expenses to voters are strictly forbidden; and no public stage or hackney carriages or horses may be hired or let, lent or borrowed, or used for the conveyance of voters. 6. No electors may be employed for any purposes of advertisement, except where a contract is made with an advertisement agent in the ordinary course of his business. £ 7. The expenses of this election are limited to the sum of which must on no account be exceeded. 8. The following persons are prohibited from voting at this election, and no one may on any account induce or procure them or any of them to vote. 1. List of names of persons disqualified under s. 37 of the Act of 1883. 2. List of names of persons employed for reward as agents or otherwise in this election, and on that account prohibited under s. 17 of same Act. 9. No person may publish a false statement of the with. drawal of any candidate. 10. No person may provide any money for any purpose contrary to the C. P. Acts, or to replace any money spent in contravention of the same. 11. No person may corruptly induce or procure a candidate to withdraw. 12. No payment or contract for payment may be made for any bands, torches, flags, banners, cockades, ribbons or other See p. 171, supra. marks of distinction; and the giving of any cockades, &c., to any inhabitant of this borough [or county] is strictly forbidden. 13. Every bill, placard and poster must bear upon its face the name and address of the printer or publisher. 14. No committee rooms may be taken in or upon any of the following premises : (a) Where the sale by wholesale or retail of any intoxicating liquor is authorised by a licence (whether on or off). (b) Where any intoxicating liquor is sold or is supplied to members of a club, society or association other than a permanent political club. (c) Where refreshment of any kind, whether food or drink, is ordinarily sold for consumption on the premises. (d) Any part of the premises of any public elementary school in receipt of an annual Parliamentary grant But any part of such premises which is ordinarily let for the purpose of chambers or offices, or the holding of public meetings, or of arbitrations, if such part has a separate entrance and no direct communication with any part of the premises on which any intoxicating liquor or refreshment is sold or supplied may be used for committee rooms. to The number of committee rooms at this election is limited which number may on no account be exceeded. 15. The names and addresses of the election agent and every sub-agent, and the addresses of their respective offices are, immediately on their respective appointments, to be sent in to the returning officer. 16. No appointments or contracts may be made or entered into except by the election agent or his sub-agent. 17. The election agent alone or his sub-agent may either before, during or after the election, receive payments, advances, or deposits in respect of the election expenses. 18. Every payment above the sum of 40s. made by the election agent or his sub-agent, must be vouched for by a bill stating the particulars, and a receipt must be obtained for the same. 19. No claim against the candidate or his election agent for any election expenses may be paid, unless sent in to the election agent within 14 days of the declaration of the poll. 20. The election agent is required to pay all election 23. The election agent is required to transmit to the returning officer within 35 days after the declaration of the poll expenses, about which no dispute arises, within 28 days after the declaration of the poll. 21. The election agent may authorise any person to pay petty expenses for stationery, postage, telegrams, &c.; but (1) any such authority must be in writing; (2) the total amount must be named in the authority, and any excess above the sum so named must be paid by the election agent; (3) a statement of the particulars so authorised, together with the bill and receipt of the person authorised, must be sent in to the election agent within the statutory 14 days. 22. A person may pay any small expense legally incurred by himself out of his own money; but such sum may not be repaid to him. 1. A full return of all election expenses according to Schedule 2 of the Act. 2. A declaration respecting the same according to Schedule 2 of the Act. Undue influence. FORMS FOR ELECTION PETITIONS. *** The following are a few forms of allegations on some of the more important charges on which petitions may be based, which may be found useful as precedents : 1. Your petitioner is a person who had a right to vote, and voted at the above election. 2. (States fact of election and result.) 3. And your petitioner says that before and during the said election undue influence was used and intimidation practised by certain persons on behalf of the said A.B. upon or against persons having the right to vote at the said election, in order to induce or compel such persons to vote or refrain from voting at the said election. 4. And your petitioner says that before and during the said election certain persons acting on behalf of the said A.B. by various fraudulent devices and contrivances, impeded, prevented, or otherwise interfered with the free exercise of the franchise by certain voters for the said county having the right to vote at the said election, and thereby compelled, induced, or prevailed upon some of such voters either to give or to refrain from giving their votes at the said election. |