Election Trouble

Before the first amendment was discussed the vice-president (Mr. W. J. O'Brien) accepted the chair from Mr. Horsley who spoke on the motion. The motion was to amend the constitution so that for this election alone non-financial members of the association could nominate and second candidates for election. This motion resulted from three candidates being seconded by non-financial members and was only a technical matter. Mr. W. Sheat claimed that the returning officer should have Invalidated the incorrect nominations with the result that the remaining members of the Women's Committee should have been automatically elected. Mr. L. B. Robinson explained that the executive as mentioned in "Salient" contained a lot of legal men, who were worried about the matter and so discussed three alternatives. He mentioned that it went against the grain for those legal people to come and swallow their pride like that. Mr. E. Williams (an American student) amid cries of "Have we an Interpreter present?" managed to point out that the assembly had the power to do anything it wished to the constitution. Mr. J. F. D. Patterson said, that the amendment to the constitution was uncalled for. The returning officer should have refused to accept the invalid nominations. He did not and so mislead the candidates as to the validity of their nomination. As the returning [unclear: officer] was acting as on officer of the [unclear: executive] for the purposes of the election the nominations must be held valid. Mr. M. J, O'Brien-replied that the returning officer received the invalid nominations on orders from the executive. The motion was then put and carried.