(2.) The returning officer, if he was not chairman of the parish meeting, shall forthwith send, by post or otherwise, a copy of such notice to such chairman. The returning officer shall send a copy of the notice to each of the persons whom he shall have declared to be elected.

(3.) The notice shall be in the Form No. 1 in the First Schedule to this Order, or in a form to the like effect.

Notice of the Poll.

6.-(1.) If a poll has to be taken, the returning officer shall, five clear days at least before the day fixed for the same, give public notice thereof. The notice shall specify

(a) the question or questions as to which the poll is to be

taken;

(b) the day and hours fixed for the poll;

(c) if the poll is to be taken as to the appointment to any office the names, place of abode, and description of each candidate with respect to whom the poll is to be taken;

(d) the names of the proposer of the resolution or of each candidate for the appointment in respect of which the poll is to be taken; and

(e) the situation and allotment of the polling place or places, and if there shall be more than one polling place or polling station, the description of the persons entitled to vote at each polling place and polling station.

(2.) The notice shall be in the Form No. 2 in the First Schedule to this Order, or in a form to the like effect.

Presiding Officers.

7.-(1.) If there is only one polling station, the returning officer shall preside at such station. If there is more than one polling station, the returning officer shall preside at one station, and shall appoint some person to preside at each of the other polling stations. The person presiding at any polling station shall be called the presiding officer.

(2.) Provided that in making appointments under this rule, the returning officer shall, as far as practicable, secure the services of suitable persons resident in the parish, so as to diminish expense.

Compartments of Polling Stations.-Ballot Papers.

8.-(1.) The returning officer shall furnish every polling station with such number of compartments in which the voters can mark

their votes screened from observation, and shall furnish each presiding officer with such number of ballot papers as may be necessary for effectually taking the poll.

(2.) If a poll is taken at the same time as to the appointment to any office or offices and as to any other question, the ballot papers as to the appointment to any office or offices, and as to any other question, shall be separate.

Polling Agents.

9. The proposer of the resolution in respect of which a poll is to be taken, and when the poll is taken as to the appointment to any office, any candidate for the office, may, in writing, appoint one polling agent, who may be paid or unpaid. Any such appointment shall be delivered at the office of the returning officer not less than two clear days before the day of the poll.

Questions to Elector.

10.-(1.) The presiding officer may, and if required by any parochial elector of the parish, or any polling agent appointed under Rule 9, shall put to any elector at the time of his applying for a ballot paper, but not afterwards, the following questions, or one of them, and no other :

(a) Are you the person entered in the parochial register for this parish as follows [read the whole entry from the register]?

(b) Have you already voted at the present poll?

(2.) A person required to answer either of these questions shall not receive a ballot paper or be permitted to vote until he has answered it.

Counting the Votes.

11. The returning officer shall count the votes in the parish or in some place near thereto as soon as practicable after the close of the poll.

Equality of Votes.

12. If an equality of votes is found to exist between any of the candidates for any appointment in respect of which the poll is taken, and the addition of a vote would enable any of such candidates to be declared elected, or if an equality of votes is found to exist for or against the resolution in respect of which the poll is taken, the returning officer may, if a parochial elector of the parish, give a vote in writing, but he shall not otherwise be entitled to vote at the poll.

Declaration of Result of Poll.

13. (1.) The declaration of the result of the poll shall be in the Form No. 3 or in the Form No. 4 in the First Schedule to this Order, or in a form to the like effect.

(2.) The returning officer making the declaration shall forthwith cause a copy of it to be affixed on the front of the building in which the votes have been counted, and another copy to be sent, by post or otherwise, to the chairman of the parish meeting if he was not himself the chairman.

(3.) The returning officer shall cause public notice to be given of the result of the poll as declared.

Application and Adaptation of Ballot Act, 1872.

14. The provisions of the Ballot Act, 1872, which, with adaptations and alterations, are set out in the Second Schedule to this Order, and only such provisions of that Act, shall, subject to such adaptations and alterations, and to this Order, apply to the poll in like manner as in the case of a municipal election.

Adaptation of Municipal Corporations Act, 1882.

15.-(1.) The provisions of section 75 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1882, which, with adaptations and alterations, are set out in the Third Schedule to this Order, shall, subject to such adaptations and alterations, apply to the poll. Section 74 of the Act shall not apply to the poll.

(2.) In the application to the poll of Part IV. of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1882 (relating to corrupt practices and election petitions), as amended by the Municipal Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Practices) Act, 1884, the following adaptations and alterations shall have effect:

(a.) Such application shall be subject to the provisions of this Order.

(b.) References to the poll shall be deemed to be substituted for references to a municipal election, or to an election to a corporate office, parish," and in section 93 (2) "poor law union," shall be deemed to be substituted for "borough," "poor rate of the parish "shall be substituted for "borough fund or borough rate," the returning officer shall be substituted for the town clerk, and "voter" shall mean a parochial elector or a person who votes or claims to vote at a poll consequent on a parish meeting.

Adaptation of the Municipal Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Practices) Act, 1884.

16. In the application of the Municipal Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Practices) Act, 1884, to the poll, the following provisions shall have effect:

(1.) Such application shall be subject to the provisions of this Order.

(2.) The expressions "parish," "returning officer at poll of parish," and "poor rate" shall be deemed to be substituted in the Act for "borough or ward of a borough,' "town clerk," and "borough fund or rate" respectively.

(3.) The expression "corporate office" in the Act shall mean "an office to which the parish meeting may appoint," and "a municipal election" shall mean a poll consequent on a parish meeting," and the expressions "municipal election Court,' "municipal election list," and "municipal election petition" shall be construed accordingly.

(4.) A petition complaining of the poll on the ground of an illegal practice may be presented at any time within six weeks after the day of the poll.

(5.) A petition relating to a poll consequent on a parish meeting may be tried at any place within the poor law union in which the parish is situate.

(6.) Section 37 of the Act shall be read as if a reference to a poll consequent on a parish meeting was substituted for a reference to any of the elections mentioned in the First Schedule to the Act.

If Parish in more than one County.

17. If a parish is situate in more than one administrative county it shall for the purposes of this Order be deemed to be wholly situate in the county which, according to the census of 1891, contains the larger part of its population.

Publication of Notices.

18. Any public notice required by this Order shall be given by posting the same on or near the principal door of each church and chapel in the parish, and in some conspicuous place or places within the parish.

Misnomer.-Inaccurate Descriptions.

19. No misnomer, or inaccurate description of any person or place named in any notice, under this Order, shall hinder the full operation of such notice with respect to that person or place, provided the description of that person or place is such as to be commonly understood.

Application and Title of Order.

20.-(1.) This Order shall not apply to the election of persons to act as parish councillors.

(2.) The Order may be cited as the "Parish Meetings (Polls) Order, 1894."

FIRST SCHEDULE.

FORM No. 1.

Notice of Abandonment of Poll.

Parish of

Whereas at a parish meeting for the parish of

day of

held

on the 189, a demand was made for a poll as to which of the following candidates should be elected as [insert name of office] for the said parish, and such demand was not withdrawn. [Insert names, place of abode, and description of each candidate.]

And whereas the said [insert name] has since withdrawn his candidature, and the number of the remaining candidates does not exceed the number of persons to be elected to the said office, I do hereby give notice that the poll demanded will not take place, and I hereby declare that the said [insert names] are elected to the said office.