ELECTION PETITIONS. 137 
No penalty is incurred by a member who sits or votes 
without taking the oath. In 1875 attention was called to the 
fact that Mr Orton, Member for the Electoral District of 
Centre Wellington, had sat and voted without taking the 
oath. The Committee of Privileges, to whom the matter was 
referred, held that, as there was no law on the subject, he 
had neither incurred any penalty nor vacated his seat, but 
that his votes recorded before taking the oath should be 
struck out of the division list and the journals 
Since the year 1879 all new members elected after or Intro- 
at a General Election, including Ministers after re-election, apna : 
have been introduced on taking their seat. Previous to that 
year the practice was not uniform. The practical advantage 
of a formal introduction is that it secures the administration 
of the oath not being overlooked. 
The form of introduction is as follows: the new member 
standing between two other members is presented to the 
Speaker in these words, 
“Mr Speaker, I have the honour to present to you A. B, 
Member for the Electoral District of who has 
taken the oath and signed the roll and now claims the 
right to take his seat.” 
The Speaker thereupon replies: “Let the Honourable 
Member take his seat.” 
The member then advances to the Chair and pays his 
respects to the Speaker. 
5. ELECTION PETITIONS. 
The trial of Election Petitions is regulated by’ the 
Dominion Controverted Elections Act ®. 
Any corrupt practice committed by a candidate or by 
his agent, with or without the candidate’s knowledge, voids 
1 See Burinot, p. 143, 
2R.8.0C.c9.